112 N. Tower St., Centralia, Washington. County/parish: Lewis.
Added to the National Register of Historic Places March 10, 1980. NRIS 80004006.
1 contributing building.Also known as:
The Olympic Club Hotel, also known as McMenamins Olympic Club Hotel and Theater, is a historic hotel owned by McMenamins Pubs & Breweries in Centralia, Washington, United States. The hotel is adjacent to the Olympic Club and situated in the Centralia Downtown Historic District, both listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). The hotel was not listed on the 1980 NRHP registry of the Olympic Club as it was, at the time, a separate building and business entity.
The hotel was constructed in 1913 and originally known as the Hotel Crawford. The moniker was changed the following year to the Oxford Hotel, a business name that survived into the 2000s. The establishment has contained a tavern known as the New Tourist Bar since its beginnings.
The Oxford may have been used partially as a brothel during its early years and Prohibition era. The capture of the "Gentleman Bandit", Roy Gardner, took place at the hotel in 1921. The hotel is also theorized to contain a bootlegger tunnel under its basement. A potential barrel storage area from the days of Prohibition was discovered under the club in 2001 but no tunnel has yet been found.
The building was considered vacant by the early 1970s but was purchased, along with the Olympic Club, by the McMenamin brothers in 1996. The hotel building, renamed as the Olympic Club Hotel, was restored beginning in mid-2002 and reopened, including the historic bar, later that same year. A Tiffany glass dome, used as an awning over the main entrance was installed in 2003.
The hotel features 27 rooms, many named after prominent people from Centralia or notable historic figures who lodged at the site. Former employees are also honored with named rooms. Lodgings are bereft of modern amenities, including in-room bathrooms. The single-screen theater, built in 2002 and not original to the hotel, features armchair and couch seating. The interior design style is similar to that of the club and hotel. Patrons can be served food and drinks during film showings.
The connected venues were combined to form McMenamins Olympic Club and McMenamins Olympic Club Hotel and Theater.
(read more...)National Park Service documentation: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75612810