OpenStreetMap (new tab)

Google Map (new tab)

Google Streetview (new tab)

Overview

Completed in 1926, this ten-floor, steel-framed skyscraper accommodated the Vance Hotel, operated by the owner of the Vance Lumber Company, Joseph Vance. He chose architect Victor W. Voorhees to design the structure.

Building History

Seattle architect Victor W. Voorhees (1876-1970) designed this hotel for the lumber and real estate magnate Joseph Vance. Voorhees designed a building based on a Renaissance palazzo, a building type frequently magnified in scale for skyscrapers of the 1920s. The modernized palazzo was a favorite model of Beaux-Arts-trained architects in early 20th century America.

The Camlin Corporation sold the Vance Hotel to Vance Hotel Associates, Lmited, PS, on 01/09/1990 for $3,620,000. Various title holders were reorganized on 12/05/2006 with no money changing hands. (See King County Department of Assessements.gov, "Parcel Data for Parcel 065900-0640," accessed 07/05/2023.)

In 2005, Gordon Sondland's Provenance Hotel group refurbished the Vance Hotel and "rebranded" it as an homage to Seattle's musical and artistic heritage. The hotel's website indicated in 2023: "Inspired by its artistic and architectural roots, the Hotel Max has become a magnet for musicians, art lovers and the creatively inclined. As a key fixture in Seattle’s art scene, we’re always playing with art and music in all forms, from our extensive collection of paintings throughout the hotel, to an entire floor dedicated to Sub Pop Records." (See Hotel Max.com, "History," accessed 07/05/2023.)

Sondland (born 07/16/1957) sold his Provenance Hotel group to Benchmark Pyramid, a Texas-based hospitality corporation, in 2022. At the time, twelve properties comprised the Provenance chain, two of this were in the Puget Sound region, the Hotel Max and the Hotel Murano in Tacoma. Benchmark Pyramid, formed in 2021 via a merger of Benchmark Global Hospitality and Pyramid Hotel Group, was headed by Katherine Durant, Sondland's wife of 29 years, whom he divorced in 2021. It was headquarted in The Woodlands, TX. (See Oregon Live.com, "Provenance Hotels, Portland Chain Founded by Gordon Sondland, Sold to Texas Company," published 04/20/2022, accessed 07/05/2023 and Oregon Live.com, "Portland hoteliers Gordon Sondland and Katy Durant file for divorce," published 10/05/2021, accessed 07/05/2023.)

Building Notes

In 2023, the Hotel Max occupied a 6,360-square-foot (0.15-acre) site. It contained 61,410 gross square feet, 56,836, net.(See King County Department of Assessements.gov, "Parcel Data for Parcel 065900-0640," accessed 07/05/2023.)

Alteration

Sondland undertook extensive renovations to the hotel prior to its reopening as the "Hotel Max" in 2005.

In 06/2013, a building permit was issued for $125,000 worth of alteration work to a first-floor retail space. The City of Seattle inspected the alteration by 08/24/2015.