About this property
The Panama Hotel in Seattle, Washington's International District was built in 1910. The hotel was built by the first Japanese-American architect in Seattle, Sabro Ozasa, and contains the last remaining Japanese bathhouse (sento) in the United States. The Panama Hotel was essential to the Japanese community, the building housed businesses, a bathhouse, sleeping quarters for residents and visitors, and restaurants. Since 1985 the Panama Hotel has been owned by Jan Johnson. Johnson, the third owner of the Panama Hotel has restored the building to emulate its previous condition before the internment of Japanese Americans from Seattle. Johnson has closed off the basement that holds the belongings of the Japanese families to the public, and has installed a glass panel in the floorboards for visitors to view the artifacts from above. The Panama Hotel is known for the rich Japanese American history before and during World War II. The hotel is known for housing the belongings of the Japanese families in Seattle once Executive Order 9066 was enacted and the detention of Japanese in internment camps. After the Japanese American internment, most of the Seattle-based families were not able to return due to death, financial constraints, and relocation; their belongings still reside in the basement of the hotel. It is also known as being the namesake of the novel Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford. The Panama Hotel was awarded the Japanese Foreign Minister’s Commendation for their contributions to promotion of mutual understanding between Japan and the United States on December 1, 2020.
Location
Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Everything a full report reveals about Panama Hotel
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Questions about this property
When was Panama Hotel listed on the National Register?
Panama Hotel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 20, 2006.
What type of historic resource is Panama Hotel?
Panama Hotel is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
Is Panama Hotel a National Historic Landmark?
Yes. Panama Hotel has been designated a National Historic Landmark (NHL), the highest level of federal recognition for historic properties in the United States.
What is the period of significance for Panama Hotel?
The period of significance for Panama Hotel is recorded as the industrial era, specifically around 1910.
Can I research the history near Panama Hotel?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Panama Hotel will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
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