Westin Seattle
The Westin Seattle is a twin-tower highrise hotel in Seattle, Washington.
The south tower, with 40 floors at, opened on June 29, 1969, as the Washington Plaza Hotel. It was built on the site of the historic Orpheum theater. Western International Hotels operated the Washington Plaza as one property with the adjacent Benjamin Franklin Hotel, built in 1929. John Graham & Associates, the new hotel's architects, had previously designed the Space Needle, first proposed by Edward Carlson, head of Western International Hotels, which also operated the tower's restaurant.
The Benjamin Franklin was demolished in July 1980 for construction of a second, nearly identical tower. While work on the tower went on, the company was renamed Westin Hotels. The Washington Plaza was the first property in the chain to be renamed, becoming The Westin Hotel on September 1, 1981. Also in 1981, Westin opened their corporate headquarters directly across the street in the Westin Building, which shared a parking garage with the hotel. The, 47-story north tower opened in June 1982 and is the tallest hotel in the city. The Westin Seattle is currently the flagship property of the Westin brand.
The hotel's two towers are featured on the cover art for the Modest Mouse album The Lonesome Crowded West.
