BELLINGHAM, WASH .- The historic Leopold Hotel building, which recently closed its doors in downtown Bellingham as a retirement residency, is undergoing renovations before reopening this summer as the 61-unit The Leopold Apartments and 31-room Hotel Leo. The Leopold Apartments will share the building at 1224 Cornwall Ave. with Hotel Leo, bringing together local residents and visitors in a mixed-use concept that is new to Bellingham. Studios, one-bedroom and two-bedroom units will be available for rent through Daylight Properties beginning June 1. Most apartments will include stunning views of Mt. Baker, Bellingham’s waterfront, and city center with easy access to the vibrant downtown scene. Monthly rental rates range from $950 to $2,000 and include all building amenities and utility services.
The apartments are located in the nine-floor tower originally built in 1929. The Hotel Leo willbe in the three-floor motor inn constructed in 1959. Hotel guests and apartment residents will share use of a fitness facility, social lounge, deck, and library. A tenant (to be finalized soon) will lease much of the building’s 10,000-square-foot ground floor for a restaurant, bar, and events such as weddings, concerts, and meetings.
"With Bellingham’s apartment vacancy at record lows, bringing more housing will add to the economic vitality and commerce of our downtown,” said Jena Curry, leasing manager of Daylight Properties. Hotel Leo will be the first hotel in Bellingham’s city center in at least 15 years and will fill a high-demand hospitality gap in downtown Bellingham.
“Downtown Bellingham is becoming known throughout the region for its walkability and vibrant mix of restaurants, stores, bars, and breweries. Adding a modern, high-quality hotel within walking distance of everything is a way to support and grow with the neighborhood,” said Hotel Leo co-owner Peter Frazier. Frazier and his wife Aimee Frazier were part of a team who designed and developed Bellingham’s Heliotrope Hotel in 2016. The Fraziers and Bob Hall are co-owners of Hotel Leo and the Heliotrope Hotel. Jamie Verkist is general manager of both hotels. Hotel Leo’s studio and one-bedroom units are being designed by Frazier and interior designer Michelle Banks of Bellingham firm Spiral Studios. Many furnishings are being locally sourced from downtown home-décor businesses The Greenhouse and Ideal.
Hotel Leo pays homage to the original use of the site at 1224 Cornwall Avenue as the Byron Hotel in 1889, becoming the Leopold Hotel after Leopold F. Schmidt purchased it in 1910. The current building was constructed as the new Leopold Hotel 1929, with an addition in 1959. The site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
"The renovations of the property and styling of the hotel will combine the old and new,” said building owner Bob Hall. “We are restoring as many of the building’s original features as possible.”
Work is currently underway to restore the terrazzo floors in the lobby, a terra cotta stairway, original tiling in the majority of the apartments and the original wood floors in the grand ballroom. Reservations for Hotel Leo rooms will be accepted beginning May 1 for its July 1
opening and beyond.
"We see the reopening of The Leopold as apartments, as well as a hotel, restaurant and events center, to be an expanded contribution to the vibrancy in our downtown community,” said Executive Director Alice Clark of Downtown Bellingham Partnership. An early look at restoration work in the lobby will be available to attendees of a benefit fundraiser May 3 for Bellingham public radio station KMRE. The event featuring The Atlantics will be presented from 7-11 p.m. in the Hotel Leo’s Crystal Ballroom and include dancing, food, libations and drawings. Tickets are available at www.BrownPaperTickets.com and at the door.
For more information, please contact:
Peter Frazier, 360-201-0390
For leasing information contact: Jena Curry, 360-734-6600
For information and updates about Hotel Leo: thehotelleo.com
