Tours start at Frye Art Museum. Limited free parking is available at the Frye Art Museum lot on Terry Avenue. Pre-registration is required and tour may be canceled if a minimum number of participants are not enrolled by the Friday prior to the tour.
Historic Seattle offers a guided tour of historic First Hill with the participation of the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation, the Frye Art Museum, St. James Cathedral, and the Sorrento Hotel. This neighborhood was the location of private clubs, important religious institutions, and swank hotels. It was also the city’s premier residential enclave from the 1890s through the first decades of the 1900s—home to mayors, judges, industrialists, timber barons, and art collectors. We see The Frye Art Museum, St. James Cathedral, H.H. Dearborn House, Stimson-Green Mansion, Piedmont Hotel (now Tuscany Apartments), First Baptist Church, Fire Station #25, the Sorrento Hotel, and many other buildings, providing insights into a century of architecture and interior design, as well as a lively look at the life and times of First Hill at the turn of the 20th century. Some interiors included when available.
Guided tours conclude in the Fireside Lounge of the Sorrento Hotel where participants enjoy happy hour prices on appetizers and drinks.
Sketch of First Hill by Earl Layman / Source: Historic Seattle
Co-Sponsors:
Washington Trust for Historic Preservation
Sorrento Hotel
Frye Art Museum
Cost:
$35 general public / $25 members / $15 students