Leopold Hotel

The Leopold in Bellingham, Washington was built in 1889 and originally named the Byron Hotel after its owner, Captain H.C. Byron. Byron owned the hotel until 1910, when Leopold F. Schmidt (founder of the Olympia Brewing Company and owner of the Bellingham Bay Brewery) purchased the Byron for $100,000. One famous fact about the hotel is that it was the home (off and on) of famous Alaskan artist Sydney Laurence; however, given his economic situation, he was unable to pay his bill in cash so instead traded Schmidt paintings for his room. To this day, the Schmidt family has one of the largest private collections of his work. The hotel was the place of Leopold's death on September 24, 1914.

Leopold Hotel
Location1224 Cornwall Ave., Bellingham, Washington
Coordinates48°44′57″N 122°28′43″W
Arealess than one acre
Built1889
ArchitectStevens, H.L., Co.
Architectural styleMission Revival[1]
NRHP reference No.82004306[2]
Added to NRHPFebruary 19, 1982

The hotel's name was soon changed to the Hotel Leopold as a token of appreciation by the hotel's investors. When Schmidt originally purchased the hotel, it held only 93 rooms.[3]

In the 1980s, The Leopold became a retirement living community and underwent a significant renovation.

The Leopold was added to the National Register of Historic Places on February 19, 1982.[2]

In early December, 2018, the Leopold announced that it was terminating operation as a retirement living center.

In April 2019 plans were announced including residential apartments and a boutique hotel named Hotel Leo on the premises. Opening is planned for July 2019.[4]

References
  1. Sullivan, Michael (December 29, 1980). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form: Leopold Hotel". National Park Service. Retrieved January 22, 2014. Accompanied by photos.
  2. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  3. The Leopold - Independent and Assisted Retirement Living Archived 2008-02-26 at the Wayback Machine
  4. "This is what's next for the Leopold building in downtown Bellingham". The Bellingham Herald. April 5, 2019.
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