Panama Hotel and Tea House

The Panama Hotel wears a distinctive layer of red brick and sits on the corner of Sixth and Main in the International District. Built in nineteen ten by architect Sabro Ozasa, it served as a hub for Japanese immigrants arriving in Seattle. During the second world war, the basement became a storage space for families forced into internment camps. Decades later, the current owner found hundreds of trunks, family photos, and personal belongings still sitting in the dark, exactly where they were left in nineteen forty-two.