City officials recently announced that the Panama Hotel has been designated a National Historic Landmark, the country's highest level of recognition for historic properties. Only 2,500 properties in the nation share this distinction.
Located in Seattle's International District at 605 S. Main St., the Panama Hotel is nationally significant for its close association with Japanese immigration to the United States. Similar to other immigrant groups, the new arrivals from Japan reestablished and adapted Japanese practices in their new country. Built in 1910, the Panama Hotel was designed by Sabro Ozasa, one of the first Japanese-American architects of the time, and the first to practice in Seattle.
The Panama Hotel houses the Hashidate Yu, a Japanese-style bathhouse, in the hotel's basement. This style of bathing was among the most significant traditional cultural practices brought to the United States by Japanese immigrants. At one time, there were hundreds of Japanese-style bathhouses in the western United States. Now, only two remain; the other is in Walnut Grove, Calif.
The Panama Hotel's owner, Jan Johnson, is committed to maintaining the building as an affordable place to live. Johnson has been a strong supporter of the preservation of the hotel and the bathhouse. The building still provides temporary lodging for guests after more than 90 years.
Dr. Gail Dubrow, formerly a professor at the University of Washington, wrote the building's nomination for landmark status. A dedication event is scheduled for the fall when the U.S. Department of the Interior will deliver the official plaque.
Other National Historic Landmarks in Seattle include the Georgetown Steam Plant, the Pioneer Building, the Pioneer Square Pergola and Totem Pole as well as the historic vessels, the Arthur Foss, the Virginia V, the Duwamish and the Lightship No. 83 Relief.[[In-content Ad]]
