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Port Townsend Historical Sites

History > Historic Buildings

Name: James Swan Hotel (now The Swan Hotel)
Year Built: 1911
Location: 220 Monroe Street (at Water Street)
Area: Downtown Port Townsend

Named in honor of James G. Swan, diarist, frontier scientist, and friend of the Puget Sound Indians who populated the Olympic Peninsula, Swan arrived in Port Townsend in 1859 and left a legacy of Northwest artifacts, which to this day are displayed in the Port Townsend, Seattle, and Smithsonian museums.

The "cottages," as they are now called, were originally built either in 1911 or in the 1930s, depending on which historian you read. One archivist claims they were constructed to provide housing for Coast Guard and Naval personnel and constructed under contract to the US Government. A second view is held by Dorothy McLarney, now of Portland, who spent her childhood in Port Townsend. She claims the cottages were in fact built to answer the need for housing some of the old fellows who did not want to go to the county home for the aged. Ms. McLarney reports that her handyman, Old Fred, lived in one of the cottages in the 1930s and claimed that the Northwest cedar and fir structures had been built in the '30s by James Flint, a Port Townsend contractor.

Since the early 1940s the cottages have served as overnight and extended stay rentals to both summer visitors and in the off-season for fishermen, lumbermen, and contract employees of the mill.

In 1989, the main hotel building was designed and constructed (also of Northwest cedar and fir) in the Victorian tradition, with high ceilings, spacious living and sleeping quarters, and dramatic view decks. The penthouse is a two-story unit, featuring a living/conference area, full kitchen, master suite and second bedroom. The second story of the penthouse is accessed via a staircase leading to two sleeping lofts and a spiral staircase to a widow's walk with an unparalleled 360-degree view of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Admiralty Inlet, and all of Port Townsend.

The historic office unit was moved here in the 1950s and formerly had seen use as a commercial space for lawyers, realtors, and merchants.

Early in 1966 the hotel was acquired by the current owners, renovated, and reopened as the Swan, a waterside Victorian hotel. Ongoing plans for the hotel include adding Victorian antiques throughout, in a continuing effort to restore the Victorian feel to this property that James Swan first visited in 1859.

The interior of the entire hotel has been repainted and refurbished with pine, fir, and oak furniture and marine art reflecting the Puget Sound image. The penthouse is available for weddings and receptions, conference and retreat centers, and as a getaway special-occasion destination for guests.

Some data modified from the National Register Information System. Many descriptions used by permission of the Port Townsend Chamber of Commerce. All material copyrighted by PTguide.com.