CAMLIN HOTEL

The Camlin Hotel…

The Camlin Hotel is a historic hotel in downtown Seattle, Washington. The story of the hotel is intertwined with the story of Seattle. The hotel was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.  The architect for the Camlin was Carl Linde of Portland, a one time brewery builder, who had built the edifice to resemble an Italian castle. The 93 apartments had all of the latest conveniences, such as “shower baths” and dinettes and kitchenettes. The penthouse comprised the entire 11th floor. On October 31, 1926, the Camlin Apartment Hotel had its official opening. The Seattle Times at the time stated, “the exterior effect of the Camlin is such as to make it stand out from all parts of the city. Instinctively, the thought is born of the magnificent view of the Sound and Olympics which is to be had from the lofty windows in the rear of this edifice. Nothing has been spared in the way of expense in its construction. The Camlin stands as a monument to seat’s development, a mark which equals anything to be found anywhere on the Pacific Coast.” In 1942, Vance proposed the addition of a cocktail lounge to the top floor of the Camlin. The penthouse, which had never been as successful as hoped, would be converted into the Cloud Room. At the same time, fifty new rooms were added, by cutting down the size of the original rooms. In the ensuing years, the Cloud Room hosted numerous famous faces, among them Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Elvis Presley, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Bonnie Raitt, John Lee Hooker, and Elvis Costello. The Cloud Room had the smoky atmosphere of a speakeasy, with the comforts of a four star restaurant. Live entertainment was the main idea, and several acts got their start there. With the recent purchase of the hotel by Trendwest, the Cloud Room was closed and replaced by penthouse units. It can still be seen in the film The Fabulous Baker Boys, (although it was not, as is commonly rumored, the location of the famous scene where Michelle Pfeiffer sings the song Makin’ Whoopee while sitting on a piano. That scene was filmed in the Crystal Ballroom of the Biltmore Hotel inLos Angeles). In 1960, in preparation for the 1962 World’s fair, 52 cabana units were added, along with a pool and a sun deck for a total cost of $2 million. After 1960, the Camlin was home to the Italian Consulate, among other things. One in particular, a 40-foot (12 m) yacht floating in the pool, as a promotional gimmick. When the boat’s bilge pump malfunctioned, and it started taking on water, it was even more of an advertisement: “Boat sinks in Downtown Seattle”. In the late 1960s, the Camlin hosted performers for the legendary Sky River Rock Festival in Sultan, Washington. In the late 1980s and 1990s, the Camlin went through many owners. One owner, in 1990, was going to sell off all of the antique furniture, but was stopped only when the state Attorney General’s office slapped a lien on it for tax evasion. In 2003, the Camlin was bought by Trendwest Resorts, to become the jewel in their crown of properties world wide. After more than a year, and $21 million in remodeling, the Camlin was ready to reopen.
Quelle: www.wikipedia.org