The Edgewater
Encyclopedia
The Edgewater is a four-story, 223-room hotel
in Seattle, Washington. It is located on the Central Waterfront on a pier over Elliott Bay
(a bay of Puget Sound
) and is the only over-water, and water-front hotel in the Seattle area. Shortly after it was built, shoreline zoning
changes precluded the construction of further hotels on piers. In its early years, the hotel advertised on its north elevation that you could "fish from your room."
The hotel is particularly famous for hosting The Beatles
when they visited Seattle in 1964 at the height of Beatlemania
. Because of the Beatles' connection to the hotel, there is a Beatles-themed suite and the hotel has hosted several Beatles-related events and tributes in recent years. Other famous guests have included Led Zeppelin
(who were banned from the hotel after their second infamous stay there; see Shark episode
), the Rolling Stones, Frank Zappa
, and U.S. president Bill Clinton
. However, Robert Plant was welcomed back to the hotel during his recent concert in Seattle.
The hotel sits on the site of the onetime Galbraith-Bacon Pier, renamed Pier 67 during World War II
. It also incorporates part of the area of the former Pier 68 (the Booth Fisheries Pier). Both old piers were demolished to build the hotel. The hotel was originally intended to open in time for the Century 21 Exposition
, Seattle's 1962 world's fair
. Originally named the Camelot, it soon became the Edgewater Inn (more recently, just The Edgewater).
The Edgewater sits partly on state-owned land. A lease from the state was renewed in 1988 and is good through 2018. As of 2008, it pays the state a rent of $330,000 a year or 3 percent of the hotel's gross receipts, whichever is greater. The lease requires the hotel owners to spend a minimum of $2 million on maintenance and refurbishing every five years.
The original architects were John Graham & Co. There have been two significant remodels: one in 1969 by James Barrington (Arcadia, California
) and another in 1990 by Seattle's Callison Partnership.
The Edgewater is owned by Noble House Hotels & Resorts, whose 14 hotels (as of 2006) also include the Hotel Deca (formerly Edmond Meany Hotel, University Tower Hotel) in Seattle's University District
.
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
in Seattle, Washington. It is located on the Central Waterfront on a pier over Elliott Bay
Elliott Bay
Elliott Bay is the body of water on which Seattle, Washington, is located. A line drawn from Alki Point in the south to West Point in the north serves to mark the generally accepted division between the bay and the open sound...
(a bay of Puget Sound
Puget Sound
Puget 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 is the only over-water, and water-front hotel in the Seattle area. Shortly after it was built, shoreline zoning
Zoning
Zoning is a device of land use planning used by local governments in most developed countries. The word is derived from the practice of designating permitted uses of land based on mapped zones which separate one set of land uses from another...
changes precluded the construction of further hotels on piers. In its early years, the hotel advertised on its north elevation that you could "fish from your room."
The hotel is particularly famous for hosting The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
when they visited Seattle in 1964 at the height of Beatlemania
Beatlemania
Beatlemania is a term that originated during the 1960s to describe the intense fan frenzy directed toward The Beatles during the early years of their success...
. Because of the Beatles' connection to the hotel, there is a Beatles-themed suite and the hotel has hosted several Beatles-related events and tributes in recent years. Other famous guests have included Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
(who were banned from the hotel after their second infamous stay there; see Shark episode
Shark episode
The Shark episode or Mudshark incident was an alleged event which took place at the Edgewater Inn in Seattle, Washington, on 28 July 1969, involving Richard Cole, a road manager for the English rock band Led Zeppelin, and members of the American psychedelic rock band Vanilla Fudge...
), the Rolling Stones, Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
, and U.S. president Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
. However, Robert Plant was welcomed back to the hotel during his recent concert in Seattle.
The hotel sits on the site of the onetime Galbraith-Bacon Pier, renamed Pier 67 during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. It also incorporates part of the area of the former Pier 68 (the Booth Fisheries Pier). Both old piers were demolished to build the hotel. The hotel was originally intended to open in time for the Century 21 Exposition
Century 21 Exposition
The Century 21 Exposition was a World's Fair held April 21, 1962, to October 21, 1962 in Seattle, Washington.Nearly 10 million people attended the fair...
, Seattle's 1962 world's fair
World's Fair
World's fair, World fair, Universal Exposition, and World Expo are various large public exhibitions held in different parts of the world. The first Expo was held in The Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London, United Kingdom, in 1851, under the title "Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All...
. Originally named the Camelot, it soon became the Edgewater Inn (more recently, just The Edgewater).
The Edgewater sits partly on state-owned land. A lease from the state was renewed in 1988 and is good through 2018. As of 2008, it pays the state a rent of $330,000 a year or 3 percent of the hotel's gross receipts, whichever is greater. The lease requires the hotel owners to spend a minimum of $2 million on maintenance and refurbishing every five years.
The original architects were John Graham & Co. There have been two significant remodels: one in 1969 by James Barrington (Arcadia, California
Arcadia, California
Arcadia is an affluent city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, and located approximately northeast of downtown Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Valley and at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains....
) and another in 1990 by Seattle's Callison Partnership.
The Edgewater is owned by Noble House Hotels & Resorts, whose 14 hotels (as of 2006) also include the Hotel Deca (formerly Edmond Meany Hotel, University Tower Hotel) in Seattle's University District
University District, Seattle, Washington
The University District is a neighborhood in Seattle, Washington, so named because the main campus of the University of Washington is located there. The UW moved in two years after the area was annexed to Seattle, while much of the area was still clear cut forest or stump farmland...
.