SEATTLE—This city’s landmark Eitel Building on the corner of Second Ave. and Pike St., here in downtown, in 2018 will become The State Hotel, an independent, 90-room hotel.
Lake Union Partners (LUP), and a local ownership group that includes Jon and Kim Hemingway and John and Deanna Oppenheimer purchased the 1904 building.
“We are very excited about The State Hotel coming online next year,” said Tom Norwalk, president/CEO of Visit Seattle. “Pike St. is in many ways our Michigan Ave. [Chicago], so the hotel is located at one of Seattle’s most important intersections, as it is the most direct route for visitors and convention delegates to walk to Pike Place Market and the waterfront. We are looking forward to working with Lake Union Partners and Columbia Hospitality, as they bring a high level of local expertise to the project.”
The ownership group is making a substantial investment in the revitalization of the Eitel Building, and working with Seattle-based architecture firm Weinstein A+U and contractor Exxel Pacific to preserve the historic landmark, according to those involved.
The restoration work includes bringing the building up to current code with seismic upgrades, refinishing the exterior masonry, reconstruction of the street-level storefronts and the addition of an eighth floor, which will include guestrooms and a rooftop terrace overlooking the Pike Place Market sign and Elliott Bay.
“We are happy to work with creative partners on this project,” said Patrick Foley, principal of LUP. “We want to create a fun, local hotel and restaurant for all of our guests, in one of the most important neighborhoods in our city.”
Seattle-based management company Columbia Hospitality will manage and operate the hotel, adding to the company’s growing portfolio, which includes boutique hotels throughout the Western region of the country.
“We are going to create an extraordinary guest experience at an iconic location that is right in our backyard,” said Columbia Hospitality Founder/CEO John Oppenheimer.