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The beautiful 1926 Camlin Apartment Hotel on 9th Ave. was refurbished as time share vacation apartments five years ago. That sign on top is a much beloved downtown sight at night. The exterior features lovely Tudor revival terracotta architectural details. That whole top floor that looks like wedding cake iceing was once a huge penthouse suite! The Camlin is on the National Register of Historic Buildings. Once known for it's lovely high rise views of Elliot Bay out the back, neighboring towers being constructed will make the the old girl's original 11 stories seem pretty diminutive now.
8 comments:
So, then, this is a view of the east façade of the building and the new construction blocks its view of the bay to the west? Dreadful. Sad that even a building on the National Register can be subject to such visual vandalism.
As you may have heard on the news, we had a tragedy in our city two days ago. It’s the subject of my post today. This was something difficult to write about but I needed to say it.
Such grand looking building! Even though dwarfed by the neighboring towers, it still stands out--i like the iceing part!
Happy weekend!
That top floor has to be one of the most beautiful scenes I've seen in a building for a long time. Yes, looks like the icing on a wedding cake! What an interesting post today!
Pat
Guelph Daily Photo, My Photos.
I just recently found you (from a random gum wall Google search) and have to say, I'm hooked.
You have quite the eye and talent.
I like seeing city points of interest I otherwise most likely would not.
Keep up the great work!
We miss the Cloud Room Bar on the top floor. It was an "old school" hangout for my company colleagues for many years.
Strangetastes, yes, this is the east facade. However, the all the tall city building to the west pretty much obscured most of the view even before the new tower directly behind was built. Downtown's height has risen substantially since the 1930-60s when this hotel's views were much tauted.
We were shocked and appalled by the attacks upon St. Louis police and officials. The media here in Seattle carried the story prominently. Your post was most thoughtful.
G_Mirage, Well, its not drop dead gorgeous like your buildings in Vienna, but for a city that's only a little over 150 years old, it's thought of as charming. Thanks for your kind comments!
Pat, thanks so much. I'm not alone, I see, in my appreciation for elaborate terracotta details!
Hey Mo, Glad you happened upon SDP! If you are based in Seattle, let me know if you would like me to link to your blog in my sidebar, okay?
Troy, I've heard about the Cloud Room and its unique vibe, where they filmed some scenes for the Fabulous Baker Boys. It is much missed by many Seattlites. What nice memories you must have of it.
Thanks very much for leaving a comment everyone!
-Kim
A wonderful building. The Penthouse had some of the best views of the city prior to the Space Needle. The Windows were huge. There was a very 50's era roof patio with fountain and very explcit statues... Every Wednesday there was a group that played poker over a long lunch in the party room.
The Camlin was a curious name. It is the first three letters of the infamous partners, making it a unique hotel name among lots of Savoy's and Post's, etc... this was before they were all major chains.
The Exterior Design took into account the Parmount Theatre, and to some extent, the two complimented each other. The plan was to build all four corners of the block to match the 1928 Paramount, something achieved by the original buildings at 4th and University... But the same folks there owned all four corners.
The Penthouse was among one of the longer lasting venues for Jazz. A Local Jazz icon and DJ has hundreds of hours of tapes from shows there. Even as building crowded the horizon, the view was great almost up to the end as a public hotel. The food quality varied, but I had lunch there the last year a number of times.
Wow, an American building with actual architectural style....never thought I'd see the day! ;-) Great shot.
Dustin
Flagstaff Daily Photo
http://flagstaffphoto.blogspot.com
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