Triangle Pub - 1910

Back to Seattle's Oldest Bars

The quirky "Flatiron" building was completed in 1910 at the corner of Railroad Way and 1st Avenue S. (formerly "Commercial St.") and housed the Triangle Hotel and Bar until statewide prohibition took effect in 1916. At least the basement space became a Western Union branch office, sending its messages to the Cherry Street headquarters via brass pneumatic tubes, which can still be seen today. The hotel above, which was a brothel from the 20s until the end of WWII, originally had 8 small rooms, but now holds 2 apartments. It is said to have once been featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not as the smallest hotel west of the Rockies. After prohibition, the main floor resumed as a bar under various names. It was Jack's Bar by 1934, run by John Baldacci and Santo Santini. Santini shortened his name to Santi, and Jack's remained in the Santi family, for over two decades, later run by Ernest and later Louis Santi through 1954. It was probably Louis Santi who renamed it the Louis Tavern and then Lou's Tavern in the mid-50s, which it remained, through changing owners, until at least 1975. Then at some point in 1975 to 1977, it re-emerges as the Triangle Hotel and Bar, owned by Les Tonkin and Walter Greissinger. It would later by owned by John "Joe" Justice, Brian Grantham, and then Brian Honda and Martha Stewart Honday purhased it in 1999. On June 2, 2020, the Stewarts announced its permanent closure, citing challenges due to construction, the coronavirus pandemic, electrical and plumbing issues, and other issues. (Note: There were four "Triangle" bars when I first wrote this page, but Seattle has been hard on its Triangles. Mack's Triangle Pub in White Center has been refurbished from its divey past and still survives. But in addition to the historic Triangle's closure, the Ould Triangle in Greenwood closed in December 2019 and the Triangle Lounge in the Fremont area was replaced by "Nine Million In Unmarked Bills," but eventually reconsituted as "Triangle Spirits."

Some sources: trianglepub.com

Additional Photos: (Under construction)