Sorrento Hotel

From Hotel to Harry & David Pears

In 1910, Rosenberg traded the Sorrento for a 240-acre orchard in the Rogue River Valley of southern Oregon. It looked like a retreat at the time, yet the swap set up one of the better-known business stories tied to any Seattle building.

His sons, Harry and David, took over the orchard and began selling its prized pears in baskets under the Harry & David name, which grew into a familiar gift brand. Keep that in mind as you stand on Madison Street: a hotel that struggled on First Hill became the trade that started it all.

The Fireside Room's Rookwood Tiles

Take a moment to admire the Italian design, which sets the Sorrento apart from the other hotels on the hill. Of all its architectural details, the one most often singled out is the fireplace surround in the Fireside Room, finished in Rookwood tiles.

Rookwood was a well-known American art pottery maker, and its tiles signaled quality in buildings of the period. If historic interiors are your passion, this fireplace is the detail to seek out.

Renovation and Landmark Status

The Malone family bought the Sorrento in the 1980s and carried out a full renovation of the building. Their work helped keep it running as a hotel rather than letting it fade away or be converted to another use.

Since then, the building has earned formal protection at two levels:

• City of Seattle landmark: designated through the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board as landmark number 423, under ordinance 123293.
• National Register of Historic Places: listed in 2021.

A Starring Role in a Video Game

Gamers may get a sense of déjà vu here. The 2020 video game The Last of Us Part II, set largely in Seattle, features a fictional hotel called the Serevena that is based on the building, and fans of the game sometimes recognize the real hotel on Madison Street.

Planning Your Visit

Head to 900 Madison St, in Seattle's First Hill neighborhood, part of the greater Downtown district. Because the Sorrento is a working hotel, check its official website before you go for current details on rooms, dining and access to public spaces such as the Fireside Room.

Nearby Landmarks Within a Short Walk

The blocks around the Sorrento hold one of the densest clusters of designated landmarks in the city, so it is easy to pair your stop with a short architectural stroll. Every one of these sits within about a fifth of a mile:

• Baroness Apartment Hotel, under 0.1 mile away
• St. James Cathedral and its rectory, about 0.1 mile
• Town Hall Seattle, the former Fourth Church of Christ, Scientist, about 0.1 mile
• Cassel Crag Apartments, about 0.1 mile
• Dearborn House, about 0.1 mile
• Freeway Park (Jim Ellis Freeway Park), about 0.2 mile, a designated landmark and park built over the interstate

Ready to discover more protected buildings around town? Browse our full list of Seattle landmarks and plan your next stop.