Panama Hotel, Historic hotel in International District, Seattle, United States.
The Panama Hotel is a brick building completed in 1910 located in Seattle's International District. It retains original furnishings including antique pieces and handcrafted armoires, while its basement contains a working Japanese bathhouse from the same era.
The building opened in 1910 as a boarding house serving Japanese and Chinese communities. During World War II, it held personal belongings of Japanese American families before they were relocated to internment camps.
The name reflects Seattle's historical ties to international shipping and the Panama Canal era. The basement bathhouse preserves how Japanese residents once gathered in this neighborhood for daily routines and community connection.
The building sits in a walkable neighborhood with dining and shops nearby. Note that accessing the basement requires stairs and the bathhouse operates on its own schedule, so planning ahead helps.
Glass floor panels allow visitors to see preserved items from the 1940s that families left behind before departing. This window into the past makes an otherwise hidden part of local history visible to those who enter today.
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