Downtown Seattle in King County, Washington — The American West (Northwest)

Victory Square

“A Homefront Gathering Place”

Photographed by Col. James F. Jamison, USMC (Ret), June 1, 2018

1. Victory Square Marker

Inscription. Victory Square was created during World War II as a place for citizens to rally behind the war effort and to raise community morale. This plaque marks the site, which included a speaker's stand and a replica of the Washington Monument inscribed with the names of Washington State citizens who lost their lives during the war. Patriotic rallies, war bond drives, and performances by Hollywood’s famous stars all took place at Victory Square. People flooded the streets to attend performances by Duke Ellington, Lana Turner, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, and Betty Grable. After the war, the stage was torn down and the monument was eventually removed in 1949.

Topics. This memorial is listed in these topic lists: Entertainment • Patriots & Patriotism • War, World II.

Location. 47° 36.505′ N, 122° 20.039′ W. Memorial is in Seattle, Washington, in King County. It is in Downtown Seattle. It is on University Street west of 5th Avenue, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Memorial is at or near this postal address: 411 University Street, Seattle WA 98101, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this memorial is in Washington’s Puget Sound Region.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast,

in the Pacific Northwest,

and in the Lewis & Clark Corridor.

Globally, it is in North America,

in the Cascade Range,

in the Inside Passage,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Site of University of Washington (a few steps from this marker); Original Site of the University of Washington (within shouting distance of this

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marker); Seattle Ice Arena (within shouting distance of this marker); Mrs. Hannah Newman (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Women's University Club of Seattle (about 600 feet away); The Brooklyn Building (approx. 0.2 miles away); Everett G. DuPen (approx. 0.2 miles away); First Presbyterian Church Cornerstone (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Seattle.

More about this memorial. The marker is on the Northeast side of the Fairmont Olympic Hotel, which is also the former site of the first campus of the University of Washington.

Also see . . . Seattle’s Victory Square. This small plaque mounted on the side of Seatle's Fairmont Olympic Hotel shares the history of Victory Square, a gathering place where residents attended rallies and bond drives from 1942 to 1945 and the location of the city's largest post-World War II celebration. This area had long been used for gatherings, and during the war years, numerous marches, performances, and speeches were centered around this location. America's leading celebrities traveled

Photographed by Adam Margolis, October 8, 2023

2. Victory Square Marker

to Seattle and other American cities to host fundraisers and rallies where citizens purchased bonds that funded the war. A stage was erected at this location that saw performances by Duke Ellington, Bing Crosby, and many other celebrities. Victory Square also included a temporary and scaled-down replica of the Washington Monument that stood until the late 1940s. (Submitted on May 28, 2025, by Luci j Baker Johnson of Seattle, Washington.)

Victory Square Marker is mounted on the Fairmont Olympic Hotel building. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Col. James F. Jamison, USMC (Ret), June 1, 2018

3. Victory Square Marker is mounted on the Fairmont Olympic Hotel building.

Photographed by Adam Margolis, October 8, 2023

4. Victory Square Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on May 31, 2025. It was originally submitted on June 2, 2018, by Col. James F. Jamison, USMC (Ret) of Coronado, California. This page has been viewed 661 times since then and 20 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on June 2, 2018, by Col. James F. Jamison, USMC (Ret) of Coronado, California. 2. submitted on October 27, 2023, by Adam Margolis of Mission Viejo, California. 3. submitted on June 9, 2018, by Col. James F. Jamison, USMC (Ret) of Coronado, California. 4. submitted on October 27, 2023, by Adam Margolis of Mission Viejo, California. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.