Preservation

Sometimes you round the corner in an urban wasteland and spot something historic, charming, and preserved. While headed to a Starbucks before catching a ferry across the sound to Bainbridge Island, I loved the facade of this building and couldn't resist exploring the ways in which I could frame the State Hotel sign with my lens.



The Delmar Building/State Hotel was built in 1891 after the Seattle fire of 1889. Part of this property was originally a dry goods store and Seattle's original pharmacy and a Chinese laundry were also located here. As you can tell from the photograph, the State Hotel was low-budget accommodations when this neighborhood was better known as "Skid Road." Another fire in 1967 finally took the State Hotel out of business. At one point in time, the State Hotel was rumored to have even been a brothel, restaurant, and gentleman's club hidden behind that Art Nouveau facade, though it now houses a bar and artists' lofts.

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Eric
Eric Lovelin Photography