William Penn Hotel
Encyclopedia
The Omni William Penn Hotel is located at 530 William Penn Place on Mellon Square
in downtown
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
. A variety of luminaries have stayed at the hotel, including John F. Kennedy
. The hotel staff innovated Lawrence Welk
's now famous bubble machine, and it was the site of Bob Hope
's marriage proposal in 1934. http://books.google.com/books?id=uYrS4OcfsYoC&lpg=PA24&ots=rfm_mnVRq-&dq=bob%20hope%20proposed%20to%20dolores%20william%20penn%20hotel&pg=PA24#v=snippet&q=hope&f=false The hotel has won numerous awards including being named to the “Best of Weddings 2009” list by The Knot and receiving the Editor’s Choice Award in the Business Hotels category on Suite101.com.
The hotel also features an award winning restaurant that dates from 1916, the Terrace Room, featuring among other amenities a wall long mural entitled "The taking of Fort Pitt". The Terrace Room was voted "Best Hotel Dining" establishment in both 2008 and 2009 by readers of the Pittsburgh City Paper
.
, Sheraton
, Westin and (current) Omni hotel chains, and has maintained four-star
ratings many years. The Eppley Hotel Company acquired the hotel soon after it was built and is credited with sustaining its eminence for several years, until the Great Depression
when Eugene Eppley lost primary control, but only after financing a major expansion in 1929 that made the William Penn the second largest hotel in the world http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=90IdAAAAIBAJ&sjid=PUsEAAAAIBAJ&dq=william%20penn&pg=3470%2C2864987. His company regained controlling interest in the late 1940s. The hotel's sale on June 4, 1956 from the Eppley Hotel Company
to the Sheraton Corporation was part of the second largest hotel sale in United States history.. The hotel was renamed the Penn-Sheraton Hotel. Sheraton sold the hotel to local investors on May 22, 1968.
Mellon Square
Mellon Square is an urban park in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is the first Modernist park built above a parking garage. With its distinctive black-and-white geometric pavement, it is a prominent feature and gathering spot of Downtown Pittsburgh....
in downtown
Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Downtown Pittsburgh, colloquially referred to as the Golden Triangle and officially the Central Business District, is the urban Downtown center of Pittsburgh. It is located at the confluence of the Allegheny River and the Monongahela River whose joining forms the Ohio River. The "triangle" is...
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
. A variety of luminaries have stayed at the hotel, including John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
. The hotel staff innovated Lawrence Welk
Lawrence Welk
Lawrence Welk was an American musician, accordionist, bandleader, and television impresario, who hosted The Lawrence Welk Show from 1955 to 1982...
's now famous bubble machine, and it was the site of Bob Hope
Bob Hope
Bob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel...
's marriage proposal in 1934. http://books.google.com/books?id=uYrS4OcfsYoC&lpg=PA24&ots=rfm_mnVRq-&dq=bob%20hope%20proposed%20to%20dolores%20william%20penn%20hotel&pg=PA24#v=snippet&q=hope&f=false The hotel has won numerous awards including being named to the “Best of Weddings 2009” list by The Knot and receiving the Editor’s Choice Award in the Business Hotels category on Suite101.com.
The hotel also features an award winning restaurant that dates from 1916, the Terrace Room, featuring among other amenities a wall long mural entitled "The taking of Fort Pitt". The Terrace Room was voted "Best Hotel Dining" establishment in both 2008 and 2009 by readers of the Pittsburgh City Paper
Pittsburgh City Paper
The Pittsburgh City Paper is Pittsburgh's leading alternative weekly newspaper which focuses on local news, opinion, and arts and entertainment...
.
History
Built in 1916, the William Penn has had several owners, including the EppleyEppley Hotel Company
The Eppley Hotel Company was located in Omaha, Nebraska. At the time of its acquisition by the Sheraton Corporation in 1956, it was the largest privately-held hotel business in the United States.-About:...
, Sheraton
Sheraton
Sheraton may refer to:*Sheraton Hotels and Resorts, a hotel chain*Sheraton, County Durham, a village in County Durham, in England*Sheraton Centre, a mall complex located in the parish of Christ Church, Barbados....
, Westin and (current) Omni hotel chains, and has maintained four-star
Star (classification)
Stars are often used as symbols for classification purposes. They are used by reviewers for ranking things such as movies, TV shows, restaurants, and hotels. For example, one to five stars is commonly employed to categorize hotels.-Restaurant ratings:...
ratings many years. The Eppley Hotel Company acquired the hotel soon after it was built and is credited with sustaining its eminence for several years, until the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
when Eugene Eppley lost primary control, but only after financing a major expansion in 1929 that made the William Penn the second largest hotel in the world http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=90IdAAAAIBAJ&sjid=PUsEAAAAIBAJ&dq=william%20penn&pg=3470%2C2864987. His company regained controlling interest in the late 1940s. The hotel's sale on June 4, 1956 from the Eppley Hotel Company
Eppley Hotel Company
The Eppley Hotel Company was located in Omaha, Nebraska. At the time of its acquisition by the Sheraton Corporation in 1956, it was the largest privately-held hotel business in the United States.-About:...
to the Sheraton Corporation was part of the second largest hotel sale in United States history.. The hotel was renamed the Penn-Sheraton Hotel. Sheraton sold the hotel to local investors on May 22, 1968.