Camlin Hotel
Encyclopedia
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.
s. 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 State Supervisor of Savings and Loans, Mr. W.L. Nicely, after meeting with the board and looking at the evidence stated,
It took a year for this trust to be finalized and put on record. It was valued at $1.75 million, and included everything that Campbell and Linden owned. The agreement was not made public at the time.
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.
, 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
in Los Angeles
).
units were added, along with a pool and a sun deck for a total cost of $2 million.
In the late 1960s, the Camlin hosted performers for the legendary Sky River Rock Festival in Sultan, Washington.
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.
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1999.
Design
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 kitchenetteKitchenette
A kitchenette is a small cooking area.In motel and hotel rooms, small apartments, college dormitories, or office buildings a kitchenette usually consists of a small refrigerator, a microwave oven or hotplate, and, less frequently, a sink...
s. 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 SoundPuget SoundPuget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...
and OlympicsOlympic MountainsThe Olympic Mountains is a mountain range on the Olympic Peninsula of western Washington in the United States. The mountains, part of the Pacific Coast Ranges, are not especially high - Mount Olympus is the highest at - but the western slopes of the Olympics rise directly out of the Pacific...
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.”
Finance problems
The building of the Camlin Hotel was sponsored by Adolph Linden and Edmund W. Campbell, the President and Vice-President/Secretary of the Puget Sound Savings & Loan. However, in May, 1926, the month of the hotel's opening, a bank employee had noticed some questionable withdrawals, and had brought them to the attention of the bank's board. The withdrawals included $866,000 to finish the Camlin Hotel.The State Supervisor of Savings and Loans, Mr. W.L. Nicely, after meeting with the board and looking at the evidence stated,
“This resulted in the meeting of the officers and directors with the supervisor October 2, when it was decided, with my advice and concurrence, that instead of closing the institution, the interests of the shareholder would be better served by securing an agreement with Linden and Campbell to make restitution as far as possible by turning over to the association all of their personal and other holdings, including the Camlin Apartment Hotel, under a trust agreement, and that, under the direction of the supervisor an endeavor would be made to restore the impairment of the capital of the association, the same officers and directors to continue in office, and the completion of the Camlin Apartment Hotel, which is under construction, to be carried out.”
It took a year for this trust to be finalized and put on record. It was valued at $1.75 million, and included everything that Campbell and Linden owned. The agreement was not made public at the time.
Sale
Before the Puget Sound Savings and Loan went under in 1931, the Camlin had been sold to the Vance Lumber Company, which already owned Seattle's Vance Hotel.Building Modifications
The Cloud Room
In the ensuing years, the Cloud Room hosted numerous famous faces, among them Frank SinatraFrank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
, Dean Martin
Dean Martin
Dean Martin was an American singer, film actor, television star and comedian. Martin's hit singles included "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", "Sway", "Volare" and "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?"...
, Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
, Dizzy Gillespie
Dizzy Gillespie
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was an American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer, and composer dubbed "the sound of surprise".Together with Charlie Parker, he was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz...
, Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
, Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Lynn Raitt is an American blues singer-songwriter and a renowned slide guitar player. During the 1970s, Raitt released a series of acclaimed roots-influenced albums which incorporated elements of blues, rock, folk and country, but she is perhaps best known for her more commercially...
, John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker was an American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist.Hooker began his life as the son of a sharecropper, William Hooker, and rose to prominence performing his own unique style of what was originally closest to Delta blues. He developed a 'talking blues' style that was his trademark...
, and Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
. The Cloud Room had the smoky atmosphere of a speakeasy
Speakeasy
A speakeasy, also called a blind pig or blind tiger, is an establishment that illegally sells alcoholic beverages. Such establishments came into prominence in the United States during the period known as Prohibition...
, with the comforts of a four star restaurant
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
. 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
The Fabulous Baker Boys
The Fabulous Baker Boys is a 1989 American romantic drama musical film written and directed by Steve Kloves, and starring real life brothers Jeff Bridges and Beau Bridges as two brothers struggling to make a living as lounge jazz pianists in Seattle...
, (although it was not, as is commonly rumored, the location of the famous scene where Michelle Pfeiffer
Michelle Pfeiffer
Michelle Marie Pfeiffer is an American actress. She made her film debut in 1980 in The Hollywood Knights, but first garnered mainstream attention with her performance in Brian De Palma's Scarface . Pfeiffer has won numerous awards for her work...
sings the song Makin' Whoopee while sitting on a piano. That scene was filmed in the Crystal Ballroom of the Biltmore Hotel
Biltmore Hotel
Bowman-Biltmore Hotels was a chain created by hotel magnate John McEntee Bowman.The name evokes the Vanderbilt family's Biltmore Estate, whose buildings and gardens within are privately owned historical landmarks and tourist attractions in Asheville, North Carolina, United States. The name has...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
).
Cabana units
In 1960, in preparation for the 1962 World’s fair, 52 cabanaCabana
A cabana or cabaña may mean:Structures:*a small hut built with a thatched roof, most commonly built in tropical climates near bodies of water, or...
units were added, along with a pool and a sun deck for a total cost of $2 million.
Other uses
After 1960, the Camlin was home to the Italian Consulate, among other things. One in particular, a 40 feet (12.2 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.
Changes of ownership
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.