The Westin Seattle is an upscale highrise twin-tower hotel in downtown Seattle, Washington . Opened in 1969, it is the flagship property of the Westin Hotels & Resorts brand, owned by Marriott International .
50-583: On December 28, 1966, Western International Hotels and Alcoa jointly announced the development of the $ 18 million Washington Plaza Hotel , to be built on the site of the historic Orpheum Theatre . It would be the first new large-scale hotel constructed in Seattle since the adjacent Benjamin Franklin Hotel was built in 1929. Western International President Edward E. Carlson selected the local architecture firm of John Graham & Associates to design
100-471: A U.S.-based, nonprofit, private operating foundation focusing on health care issues. Originally based in Oakland , California, it later moved to Menlo Park, California . At Kaiser's death, half of his fortune was left to the foundation. It was reorganized and restructured in 1991, under CEO Drew Altman. The Foundation, not associated with Kaiser Permanente or Kaiser Industries , operates independently as
150-643: A height of 121 m (397 ft). The tower was topped out in January 1969 and the hotel opened on June 29, 1969. Western International Hotels operated the Washington Plaza as one property with the now-connected Benjamin Franklin Hotel. Together, the hotel complex had 715 rooms. The aging Benjamin Franklin wing was demolished in July 1980 for construction of a second, nearly identical tower. While work on
200-458: A similar joint marketing agreement with UK-based Trust House Hotels . In 1970, Western International was acquired by UAL Corporation , with Edward Carlson becoming president and CEO of UAL, Inc and United Airlines. Western International bought New York's iconic Plaza Hotel in 1975 for $ 25 million. On January 5, 1981, the company changed its name again to Westin Hotels (a contraction of
250-675: A single corporate structure in 1958, focusing on bringing the hotels together under a common chain identity. Also in 1958, Western Hotels assumed management of three hotels in Guatemala, its first properties outside the US and Canada. Western opened its first hotel in Mexico in 1961. In March of that same year, they opened the first hotel to be both constructed and owned by the chain, The Bayshore Inn in Vancouver. Edward Carlson became President of
300-588: A surplus Ford Motor Company defense plant at Willow Run , Michigan originally built for WWII aircraft production by Ford. Kaiser-Frazer (later Kaiser Motors ) produced cars under the Kaiser and Frazer names until 1955, when it abandoned the U.S. market and moved production to Argentina . The first K-F models were designed by Howard "Dutch" Darrin and these went from non-existent to number eight in new car sales within two years. Although still producing Jeep vehicles, Kaiser-Willys ceased production of passenger cars in
350-800: A think tank, making facts and analysis available to policymakers, health care groups, the media and the general public. As a real-estate magnate, Kaiser founded the Honolulu suburban community of Hawaiʻi Kai in Hawaiʻi . Kaiser also financed the development of Panorama City , a planned community in the San Fernando Valley portion of Los Angeles. Schools were named in his honor in Hawaii , West Virginia, and California . Kaiser spent many of his later years in Honolulu and developed an obsession with perfecting its urban landscape. He built
400-671: A travel conglomerate based around United Airlines , Hertz Rent a Car , Hilton International Hotels , and Westin and linked by Apollo . This strategy failed, however, and Allegis sold Westin in 1988 to the Japanese Aoki Corporation for $ 1.35 billion. Aoki immediately sold the Plaza Hotel to Donald Trump for $ 390 million. In 1994, Aoki agreed to sell Westin to real estate investment firm Starwood Capital Group (parent of Starwood ) and Goldman Sachs at an enormous loss, for $ 561 million, but by
450-588: The California Shipbuilding Corporation . At Kaiser Shipyards in Richmond, California , Kaiser implemented the pioneering idea of Sidney Garfield for a prepaid hospital financing plan. Opened on August 10, 1942, Kaiser Richmond Field Hospital for Kaiser Shipyards was financed by the U.S. Maritime Commission, sponsored by Henry J. Kaiser's Permanente Foundation, and run by Garfield. In part because of wartime materials rationing,
500-575: The Heavenly Bed mattresses featured in Westin properties, and manufactured by Simmons Bedding Company , to the general public. In 2005, Westin partnered with Nordstrom , which carried the mattresses and bedding in its stores. In 2011, Westin began selling the Heavenly mattresses and bedding at Pottery Barn stores. Henry J. Kaiser Henry John Kaiser (May 9, 1882 – August 24, 1967)
550-575: The Hoover Dam and Grand Coulee Dam . Kaiser is also noted for advancing medicine with the development and construction of hospitals, medical centers and medical schools. The mining town of Eagle Mountain, California , built as part of the West Coast's first integrated mining/processing operation, and linked by rail to his mill in Fontana, California , was an early user of Kaiser Permanente ,
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#1732787754718600-469: The Kaiser Shipyard in Richmond, California ; during World War II adapting production techniques to enable building cargo ships with an average construction time of 45 days. These ships became known as Liberty ships and were later supplemented in the mid-war period by improved, larger and faster Victory ships . He became world-renowned when his teams built a ship in four days. The keel for
650-537: The Pacific and the Atlantic theaters. The concepts that he developed for the mass production of commercial and naval ships are still in use. One problem with welded hulls that was unknown is the issue of brittle fracture . That caused the loss of some Liberty ships in cold seas as the welds failed and the hulls would crack, sometimes completely into two. Constance Tipper was one of the first people to discover why
700-634: The 10,500-ton SS Robert E. Peary was laid on Sunday, November 8, 1942, and the ship was launched in California from the Richmond Shipyard#2 on Thursday, November 12, four days and 15 + 1 ⁄ 2 hours later. The previous record had been ten days for the Liberty ship Joseph M. Teal . A visit to a Ford assembly plant by one of his associates led to a decision to use welding instead of riveting for shipbuilding. Welding
750-492: The Field Hospital was a single-story wood-frame structure designed in a simple modernist mode. Originally intended for use primarily as an emergency facility, the Field Hospital opened with only 10 beds. Later additions had increased its capacity to 160 beds by 1944. Kaiser's Richmond Field Hospital served as the mid-level component of a three-tier medical care system that included six well-equipped First Aid Stations at
800-676: The Kaiser Hawaiian Village Hotel, today known as the Hilton Hawaiian Village , and used bright pink Jeeps as resort transportation. Kaiser constructed one of the first commercially practical geodesic domes in the United States at this resort and used it as a theater. In the mid-1950s, Kaiser was convinced that television could make Kaiser brand products known to the public. In 1957 Kaiser partnered with Warner Brothers and ABC to sponsor
850-555: The Kaiser Industries Corporation since 1956. One of Kaiser's grandsons, Edgar Kaiser Jr. , became president of Kaiser Steel from 1981 to 1984, and briefly owned the Denver Broncos NFL franchise. Another grandson, Henry , is an Antarctic diver and experimental guitarist. Kaiser was involved in building civic centers, roads, and schools. He was part of the consortium that constructed
900-424: The Kaiser family itself has had no connection with Kaiser Permanente . In 1945, Kaiser partnered with veteran automobile executive Joseph Frazer to establish a new automobile company from the remnants of Graham-Paige , of which Frazer had been president. Frazer was a respected auto sales executive and was noted for Chrysler's market penetration during the 1930s. The new company was named Kaiser-Frazer . It used
950-606: The Liberty ships were breaking into two. Minor changes in design and more rigid welding control implemented in 1947 eliminated Liberty ship losses until 1955. By his membership in a group called the Six Companies , Kaiser also had a major role in the Joshua Hendy Iron Works of Sunnyvale, California , which built the EC-2 triple expansion steam engines for the Liberty ships. Kaiser and his associates organized
1000-901: The Puget Sound area, to join them, and together they established Western Hotels . The chain consisted of 17 properties – 16 in Washington and one in Boise, Idaho . Western Hotels expanded to Vancouver , British Columbia and Portland , Oregon in 1931, to Alaska in 1939, and then to California in 1941, assuming management of the Sir Francis Drake Hotel the day after Pearl Harbor was bombed. Western added properties in Utah in 1949 and Montana in 1950. Western Hotels executive Edward Carlson convinced Victor "Trader Vic" Bergeron to open his first franchised Trader Vic's location in
1050-523: The U.S. after the 1955 model year. They continued producing Kaiser Carabela sedans, identical to the 1955 Kaiser U.S. sedans, in Argentina until 1961. He built the Kaiser Superbus (1946, scrapped 1951) 60 feet in length with room for 63 seated passengers, and two restrooms, was constructed using magnesium, and aluminum. Only one prototype would be built. A small model used by Kaiser's sales team
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#17327877547181100-529: The U.S. government. The original facilities included reduction plants at Mead and Tacoma, and a rolling mill at Trentwood. Kaiser Aluminum expanded to become an integrated aluminum company, mining and refining bauxite and creation of alumina, the production of primary aluminum from alumina, and manufacturing fabricated and semi-fabricated aluminum products. In 1948, Kaiser established the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation (also known as Kaiser Family Foundation ),
1150-544: The age of 16. He worked as an apprentice photographer early in life, and was running the studio in Lake Placid by the age of 20. He used his savings to move to Washington state in 1906, where he started a construction company fulfilling government contracts. Kaiser met his future wife, Bess Fosburgh, the daughter of a Virginia lumberman, when she came into his photographic shop in Lake Placid, New York , to buy film. Fosburgh's father demanded that Kaiser show that he
1200-450: The car was named after Kaiser. In 1953, Kaiser purchased Willys-Overland , manufacturer of the Jeep line of utility vehicles, changing its name to Willys Motors. In the late 1960s, Kaiser's South American operations were sold to a Ford- Renault combination. In 1963, the name was changed again to Kaiser-Jeep , which was ultimately sold to American Motors Corporation in 1970. As part of
1250-721: The chain in 1960 and is credited with bringing the Century 21 Exposition to Seattle in 1962. Carlson's own napkin sketch of a tower with a revolving restaurant on top, inspired by his visit to the Stuttgart TV Tower , was the origin of the Space Needle. The chain managed the restaurant atop the Space Needle from its opening until 1982. Western Hotels also managed a floating hotel aboard the ocean liner QSMV Dominion Monarch , docked in Seattle harbor during
1300-411: The chain's Benjamin Franklin Hotel in Seattle in 1949. Originally a small bar named The Outrigger , it was expanded into a full restaurant in 1954 and renamed Trader Vic's in 1960. Due to the restaurant's success, Bergeron worked with Western Hotels to open Trader Vic's locations in a number of its hotels. In 1955, Western Hotels assumed management of the landmark Olympic Hotel in Seattle. It became
1350-699: The chain's new flagship, and the headquarters and executive offices were moved from the New Washington Hotel to a newly-decorated suite of offices on the 12th floor of the Olympic, in celebration of the chain's 25th anniversary. Western Hotels expanded to Hawaii in 1956, assuming management of the Hawaiian Village Hotel , built by Henry J. Kaiser . Early management developed each property individually. After more than two decades of rapid growth, many of its properties were merged into
1400-579: The fair. The company was renamed Western International Hotels in January 1963, to reflect its growth outside the US. In the mid-1960s, the company became publicly-held, trading its shares on the American Stock Exchange . From November 1, 1965, to 1970, Western International had an agreement with Hotel Corporation of America (today known as Sonesta), under which all 72 hotels of the two chains were jointly marketed as HCA and Western Hotels . From 1968 to 1973, Western International had
1450-595: The first health maintenance organization . A class of 18 United States Navy fleet replenishment oilers built in the 1980s and 1990s is named the Henry J. Kaiser class . Its lead unit, USNS Henry J. Kaiser , the first U.S. Navy ship named for Kaiser, entered service with the Military Sealift Command on December 19, 1986. In 1990, Kaiser was made a member of the Labor Hall of Fame of
1500-491: The hotel, and the local Howard S. Wright Construction Company to build it. The two firms had also designed and constructed the Space Needle six years earlier, whose construction was first proposed by Carlson and whose restaurant was operated by Western International from 1962–1982. The Orpheum Theatre was demolished beginning in August 1967. The hotel originally consisted of a single 40 story tower, today's south tower, reaching
1550-549: The pipeline. In 1930, Severt W. Thurston and Frank Dupar of Seattle , Washington met unexpectedly during breakfast at the coffee shop of the Commercial Hotel in Yakima , Washington. The competing hotel owners decided to form a management company to handle all their properties, and help deal with the crippling effects of the ongoing Great Depression . The men invited Peter and Adolph Schmidt, who operated five hotels in
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1600-632: The process by constructing new shipyards using this concept. Other Kaiser shipyards were located in Ryan Point (Vancouver) on the Columbia River in Washington state and on Swan Island in Portland, Oregon . A smaller vessel was turned out in 71 hours and 40 minutes from the Vancouver yard on November 16, 1942. The Kaiser hulls also became America's smaller, more numerous " escort carriers ", over 100 small aircraft carriers employed in both
1650-497: The safety of their designs. Kaiser was involved in large construction projects such as civic centers and dams, and invested in real estate, later moving into television broadcasting. Kaiser was born on May 9, 1882, in Sprout Brook, New York , the son of Franz and Anna Marie (née Yops) Kaiser, ethnic German immigrants. His father was a shoemaker. Kaiser's first job was as a cash boy in a Utica, New York , department store at
1700-596: The second 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. That same year, Westin opened a new corporate headquarters directly across the street in the Westin Building , which shared a parking garage with the hotel. The 137 m (449 ft), 47- story north tower opened in June 1982 and remains
1750-1083: The shipyards and the main Permanente Hospital in Oakland, where the most critical cases were treated. By August 1944, 92.2% of all Richmond shipyard employees had joined Kaiser Permanente, the first voluntary group plan in the country to feature group medical practice, prepayment, and substantial medical facilities on such a large scale. After the war, the Health Plan was expanded to include workers' families. To serve employees at his diverse businesses, Kaiser opened Permanente facilities in Walnut Creek, California ; Honolulu, Hawaii ; and many other locations. Since then, locations have opened in Hawaii; Dublin, California ; Livermore, California ; Pleasanton, California ; Martinez, California ; Santa Clara, California ; and Antioch, California . However,
1800-558: The tallest hotel in the city. The Westin Seattle is the flagship property of Marriott’s premium uspcale Westin brand of hotels and resorts. Westin Hotels Westin Hotels & Resorts is an American upscale hotel chain owned by Marriott International . As of June 30, 2020 , the Westin Brand has 226 properties with 82,608 rooms in multiple countries in addition to 58 hotels with 15,741 rooms in
1850-513: The television series Maverick , promoting household products including Kaiser aluminum foil and Kaiser Jeep vehicles. In support of his Hawaii ventures, Kaiser induced Warner Brothers to copy the formula of its popular series 77 Sunset Strip as new TV series Hawaiian Eye . Though actually filmed at WB studios in Burbank, California , the show featured private detectives based at Kaiser's Hilton Hawaiian Village. (The Hilton Hawaiian Village
1900-493: The time the sale closed in May 1995, the buyers had negotiated the price down to $ 537 million. In 1998, Starwood assumed full ownership of the company. In 2016, Marriott International acquired Starwood , becoming the world's largest hotel company. Westin was the first hotel chain to introduce guest credit cards (in 1946), 24-hour room service (1969), and personal voice mail in each room (1991). In 1999, Westin began selling
1950-520: The transaction, Kaiser acquired a 22% interest in AMC, which was later divested. In the mid-1950s, Kaiser asked William Besler to convert his 1953 Kaiser Manhattan to steam. Besler completed this in either 1957 or 1958. Kaiser did not like the remodeled car and left it with Besler. Kaiser founded Kaiser Aluminum in 1946 by leasing and later purchasing aluminum facilities in Washington state from
2000-602: The west Lafayette Kaiser estate deteriorated and was eventually demolished. Today, the property is unrecognizable, subdivided into several homes. On August 24, 1967, Kaiser died at the age of 85 in Honolulu . He is interred in Mountain View Cemetery in the Main Mausoleum, in Oakland, California . He was outlived by his second wife, Alyce Chester Kaiser, who inherited half his fortune, and by his elder son, Edgar F. Kaiser , who had been president of
2050-437: The words Western International). The chain's flagship Washington Plaza Hotel in Seattle was the first property to be rebranded, becoming The Westin Hotel on September 1, 1981. That same year, Westin opened a new corporate headquarters directly across the street in the Westin Building , which shared a parking garage with the hotel. In 1987, UAL chairman Richard Ferris announced a plan to reorganize UAL as Allegis Corporation,
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2100-406: Was September 28, 1950. The car was marketed through 1954. Kaiser-Frazer held a contest to name their new car, with Henry J being the winning name. A lawsuit by a shareholder in the company alleged that "The name is so ridiculous that it can be justified on no other ground than to satisfy a deep ingrained megalomanic desire for personal publicity". It is unknown the outcome of the suit and in the end,
2150-514: Was advantageous because it took less strength to do and it was easier to teach to thousands of employees, who were mostly unskilled laborers and many women. Kaiser adopted the use of sub-assemblies in ship construction. Formerly, hundreds of laborers crowded together to complete a ship. Though that practice had been tried on the East Coast and in Britain, Kaiser was able to take full advantage of
2200-686: Was an American industrialist who became known for his shipbuilding and construction projects, then later for his involvement in fostering modern American health care . Prior to World War II, Kaiser was involved in the construction industry; his company was one of those that built the Hoover Dam . He established the Kaiser Shipyards , which built Liberty ships during World War II , after which he formed Kaiser Aluminum and Kaiser Steel . Kaiser organized Kaiser Permanente health care for his workers and their families. He led Kaiser-Frazer followed by Kaiser Motors , automobile companies known for
2250-468: Was an early advocate of bringing American aid to those suffering from German aggression in Europe. In 1940, a full year before the US had entered World War II , Kaiser served as National Chairman of United Clothing Collection for International War Relief to provide much-needed clothing for the refugees from Hitler's conquests in Europe. Kaiser fought Hitler far more directly with what he is most famous for:
2300-542: Was between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Santa Fe Railway had to petition The California State Railroad Commission to operate the bus on state highways as it used a trailer , which were forbidden to use. The Henry J was built by the Kaiser-Frazer Corporation and named after its chairman, Henry J. Kaiser. Production of six-cylinder models began in July 1950, and four-cylinder production started shortly after Labor Day, 1950. Official public introduction
2350-799: Was featured in Hawaii 5-0 with many scenes filmed at the resort.) Kaiser eventually bought and built a chain of radio and television stations which became known as Kaiser Broadcasting . Some call signs included his initials "HK", beginning in 1957 in Honolulu with KHVH-TV 13 and KHVH AM 1040. Kaiser's first wife Bess Fosburgh died on March 14, 1951. Kaiser married the nurse who had cared for her, Alyce Chester (reportedly with his wife's blessing) on April 10, 1951. He adopted her son, who as Michael Kaiser, attended nearby Lafayette public Vallecito School. Kaiser's attention soon transferred to Hawaii, and in 1955 he moved his family there. After Kaiser moved to Hawaii,
2400-654: Was financially stable before he would consent to their marriage. Kaiser moved to Spokane and became a top salesman at a hardware company, returning ten months later with enough money to placate his future father-in-law. They married on April 8, 1907, and had two children, Edgar Kaiser, Sr and Henry Kaiser, Jr. In 1914 Kaiser founded a paving company, Henry J. Kaiser Co., Ltd., one of the first to use heavy construction machinery. His firm expanded significantly in 1927 when it received an $ 18-million contract to build roads in Camagüey Province , Cuba. In 1931 his firm
2450-619: Was one of the prime contractors in building the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River , and subsequently the Bonneville and Grand Coulee Dams on the Columbia River . While doing business among the " Six Companies, Inc. ", and remotely related to his interest in motor boat racing, he set up shipyards in Seattle and Tacoma , where he began using mass-production techniques, such as using welding instead of rivets . Henry Kaiser
2500-619: Was reconstructed in 2016. It was a highway bus meant to go from train station to train station within the Santa Fe Railway. It was built for Santa Fe Trailways (later Continental Trailways, part of National Trailways Bus System) to run on longer routes, not entirely inside urban areas. Construction took place at the Kaiser Permanente Metals Corporation plant in Los Altos. The first, and only route,
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