Alright, ladies and gents! It’s time to voyage into a late great location of ‘90s past. None other than the OK Hotel! The OK Hotel was originally a bar and music venue located under the viaduct in Pioneer square. The Hotel was originally built in 1917 to house workers in the downtown and waterfront areas. It closed down in 1971 and reopened as a cafe in 1990, just in time to host the likes of Nirvana, Maxi Badd, The Gits, 7 Year Bitch, Kristen Barry, Bell and other touring acts from around the country.
Fun fact! Tia Matthews, one of the lovely godmothers of These Streets owned the club with her husband Steve Freeborn, who now owns Royal Room and Rendezvous. Sally Johnson of Faster Tiger,one of our oral history interviewees was a waitress there in early ’90′s. She later went on to book the club.
The OK Hotel, and several other historic buildings, was damaged by the Nisqually earthquake in 2001, causing the OK Hotel to close down after 15 years of service. The OK Hotel now serves as residential housing and artist lofts. It is open to the public every First Thursday for the Art Walk.