The O.K. Hotel in 1926.King County Assessor, Real Property Record Cards, 1937-1972.

Property record cards are a great resource for local history, and the King County Assessor Real Property card collection has a wealth of information and photographs of Seattle buildings, past and present. The O.K. Hotel, seen here in the 1930s, offered guests an unobstructed view of Elliott Bay and an economical place to stay in the industrial area of Seattle. Built in 1917, the hotel first offered lodgings to World War One industrial workers, and later loggers. It was part of the industrialization of Seattle’s waterfront that followed the 1898 Klondike Gold Rush and the entry of the United States into the First World War. The view of Elliott Bay was obstructed by an elevated railway trestle in 1919. The view was further obstructed by the Alaskan Way Viaduct, built in the 1950s. By 1971 the hotel had been closed due to new building codes. In 1988 the O.K. Hotel was brought back up to code and became a popular music venue. Groups such as Nirvana and Sublime performed at the club until its closure. Badly damaged in the 2001 Nisqually Earthquake, the building was renovated in 2004. Today the O.K. Hotel is now apartments. The Alaskan Way Viaduct was demolished in 2019, restoring the views of Elliott Bay to this historic structure.

You can see this image and many others in the King County Assessor, Real Property Record Cards, 1937-1972

Written by Sam Wilson