5th Ave and Virginia Street, Seattle 1962

The Benjamin Franklin Hotel and the Seattle Monorail: A Glimpse into a Lost Downtown Landmark

Long before the twin towers of the Westin Seattle reshaped the skyline, the Benjamin Franklin Hotel stood proudly on the southeast corner of 5th Avenue and Virginia Street. Opened in 1929, it was a stylish 14-storey hotel designed by architect Earl A. Roberts, positioned in the heart of Seattle’s bustling theatre and shopping district. For decades, the “Ben Franklin” was a popular stop for visitors and travelling performers, serving as both a social hub and a symbol of the city’s growing confidence.

A Hotel with a Monorail Outside the Door

One of the most striking aspects of the hotel’s later years was its proximity to the Seattle Center Monorail, built for the 1962 Century 21 World’s Fair. The monorail’s elevated track runs directly down the middle of 5th Avenue, passing just outside the hotel. Photographs from the mid-1960s capture sleek monorail trains gliding by with the Ben Franklin Hotel and the neighbouring Orpheum Theatre in the background. It created a distinctly futuristic contrast with the older pre-war buildings below.

Decline and Demolition

The surrounding area began to change rapidly in the late 1960s. The Orpheum Theatre was demolished first, making way for new commercial development. The Benjamin Franklin Hotel survived a little longer but eventually closed and was torn down in 1980 to allow for construction of The Westin Seattle. Today, nothing of the original building remains, yet its memory lingers in photographs of monorail trains whirring past its façade.