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

Pioneer Square Hotel

Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, February 20, 2026

1. Pioneer Square Hotel Marker

Inscription.
Has Been Placed on the
National Register
of Historic Places
by the United States
Department of the Interior

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Notable Buildings. In addition, it is included in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) series list.

Location. 47° 36.1′ N, 122° 20.115′ W. Marker is in Seattle, Washington, in King County. It is in Pioneer Square. It is at the intersection of Western Avenue and Firehouse Alley, on the right when traveling east on Western Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 611 Western Ave, Seattle WA 98104, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker 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

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

markers are within walking distance of this marker: What was Yesler’s Way? / How did a parking garage spark a preservation movement? (here, next to this marker); Schwabacher’s Store (within shouting distance of this marker); What do you need to rush for gold? (within shouting distance of this marker); Mutual Life Building (within shouting distance of this marker); Maynard Building (within shouting distance of this marker); Who landed here? (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Pioneer Square Pergola (about 300 feet away); Chun Ching Hock (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Seattle.

Regarding Pioneer Square Hotel. The current Pioneer Square Hotel (formerly known as the Yesler Hotel) is not individually listed in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) but is officially a Historical, Contributing Building (site #9) within the Pioneer Square - Skid Row District, originally listed in the NRHP in 1970.

Also see . . . National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form (2007). Contributing building/site #9 and inventory description within the Pioneer Square

Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, February 20, 2026

2. Pioneer Square Hotel Marker

- Skid Row District for the former Yesler Hotel (currently known as the Pioneer Square Hotel):

Albert Wickersham was the architect of this building, fonnerly known as the Yesler Hotel. It was completed in 1914 and was a “flophouse'' by the 1930s. It was restored again in the mid-1990s to become the Pioneer Square Hotel, currently the only hotel in the district. The building was erected on the location of the tidal flats, an area which began to be reclaimed in the 1890s, and where a significant industrial and commercial area was created, beginning in the 1900s. This building was part of the development of the area, after the economic and industrial upturn caused, first by the Klondike Gold Rush, and then by the increased industrialization of the area, as World War 1 approached. The building is located across the street from the Travelers' Hotel/ Elgin Hotel, an even simpler building from 1913 and also designed by Wickersham. It is not far from a number of warehouse and industrial buildings erected during the same period, such as the Heffeman Engine Works Building of 1918. The design of the elevation, although from 1914, recalls elements
Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, February 20, 2026

3. Pioneer Square Hotel
of some of the older Victorian buildings in the area, such as the St. Charles Hotel or Our Home Hotel.

(Submitted on March 10, 2026, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon.)

Pioneer Square Hotel image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, February 20, 2026

4. Pioneer Square Hotel

Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, February 20, 2026

5. Pioneer Square Hotel

Credits. This page was last revised on March 13, 2026. It was originally submitted on March 10, 2026, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon. This page has been viewed 15 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on March 10, 2026, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.