Today, the National Trust for Historic Preservation named The Panama Hotel in Seattle, Wash., a National Treasure. It is a place that demonstrates clearly the impact that internment had on Japanese Americans during World War II because the hotel is an authentic remnant of the thriving Japantown community in the neighborhood before their forced removal.

Along with Historic Seattle and current owner Jan Johnson, the National Trust is committing to long-term preservation and interpretation of the building and its collections. The Trust is working to identify preservation issues related to the hotel through a commissioned Historic Structures Report and the application for a Japanese American Confinement Sites (JACS) grant from the National Park Service. If granted, the JACS funding would be used to inventory, document, catalogue, and research the collection of objects left in the basement and never reclaimed.

“Each trunk and suitcase left behind in the basement provides a rare and unique glimpse of life before World War II-era internment altered their lives forever,” said Stephanie Meeks, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. “This National Treasure is an authentic symbol of the community, holding a fascinating collection of items that Japanese Americans were forced to abandon abruptly in 1942. The Panama Hotel represents a painful but important time in America, and we want to save it as a reminder of this dark and important time in America’s history.”

On February 19, 1942, after the attack on Pearl Harbor, President Franklin Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066 declaring that people of Japanese descent could no longer live on the West Coast. More than 110,000 Japanese Americans and those of Japanese descent were forcibly moved to internment camps. Many did not return to their homes following the war, leaving behind possessions and their former lives.

“Built in 1910 and designed by Seattle’s first Japanese architect, this hotel was the center of the neighborhood, providing lodging as a ‘working man’s’ hotel, access to Japanese-owned businesses in the retail spaces, and the sento bathhouse in the basement,” said Eugenia Woo, director of preservation services at Historic Seattle. “The Panama Hotel, a National Historic Landmark, housed key aspects of daily life for Japanese immigrants in Seattle and it must be preserved for the future.”

As owner of the hotel for the past 30 years, Jan Johnson is preparing for the property’s next phase and with this National Treasure designation, the National Trust will collaborate with her and Historic Seattle to find a new steward, while honoring the legacies of Johnson and previous owner Takashi Hori.

National Treasures are a portfolio of highly-significant historic places throughout the country where the National Trust makes a long-term commitment to finding a preservation solution. As the Presenting Partner of the National Treasures program, American Express has pledged $6.5 million to help promote and enable the preservation of these cultural and historic places.

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Media Tour Opportunity

Members of the media are invited to tour the Panama Hotel and interview representatives from the hotel, National Trust for Historic Preservation, and Historic Seattle on April 9, 2015 from 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. at 605 1/2 S. Main St. Please contact Tim Mikulski (tmikulski@savingplaces.org or 571-257-9412) if interested in attending.

National Treasure Announcement Event Information

Members of the media are invited to attend the official National Treasures announcement on April 9, 2015 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Nisei Veterans Committee (NVC) Memorial Hall (1212 S. King St.). Please contact Tim Mikulski (tmikulski@savingplaces.org or 571-257-9412) if interested in attending.