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The Olympic Hotel

One hundred years ago this week, on December 6, 1924, Seattle high society attended a posh dinner party at the opening of the Olympic Hotel. Built on the grounds of the old Territorial University, the Olympic Hotel has played host to royalty, countless conventions and conferences, many U.S. presidents, various movie stars and musicians, world explorers, and even travelers from outer space.

In 1920, after the Lincoln Hotel was destroyed in a fire, Seattle's business leaders saw the need for a new hotel that the city could be proud of. To accomplish this, they needed to raise nearly $3 million dollars from the community. In 1922, they took advantage of the ebullient spirit that abounded during the Klondike Gold Rush silver anniversary, and on the first day of fund raising more than $1.6 million in bonds were sold. The total amount was reached in less than two weeks.

For the first 30 years of its existence, the Olympic surrounded the Metropolitan Theatre, which faced University Street where Victory Square was erected during World War II for rallies and bond drives.  After the theatre was demolished in 1954, a new entrance to the Olympic Hotel was built in its place. Around this time, Western Hotels took over management of the Olympic through a new subsidiary, Seattle Olympic Hotel Company.

During the 1950s, Eddie Carlson moved up the corporate ladder at the hotel corporation and became president of Western Hotels in 1960. At the time, Carlson was also president of the non-profit corporation Century 21 Exposition, Inc., and many planning meetings for the upcoming World's Fair were held at the Olympic Hotel. Carlson even placed a giant model of the Space Needle inside the hotel lobby, where it remained for years after the fair ended.

By the 1970s, the grand hotel was showing its age. There was some talk of tearing the building down, but public outcry led to a two-year renovation by the Four Seasons Hotels group, who had taken over the lease in 1979. The Four Seasons operated the hotel until 2003, at which time Fairmont Hotels and Resorts took over management, and changed the name to The Fairmont Olympic Hotel. Fairmont has completed a $25-million renovation to the hotel's interiors to ensure that Seattle's "Grande Dame" looks just as good – if not better – than it did when it opened a century ago.

Fans Cheer and Yell

Fifty years ago this week, on December 5, 1974, the Seattle Seahawks got their start when a group of Seattle businessmen led by the Nordstrom family was awarded an NFL Franchise. Construction had already begun on the Kingdome – a new multipurpose stadium that would be shared with the city's nascent baseball team – but discontent between citizens and public officials over building costs and planned locations delayed its opening until 1976, just in time for the Seahawk's opening season.

This week also marks a notable anniversary for another Seattle sports team. On December 10, 2016, Seattle Sounders FC won their first Major League Soccer Championship, seven years after their debut. In 2019, they won their second MLS cup in front of the biggest crowd ever at CenturyLink Field.