The Omni William Penn Hotel is a 23 floor (3 underground) hotel located at 530 William Penn Place on

Mellon Square Mellon Square is an urban park in Downtown Pittsburgh, Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is the first Modernism, Modernist park built above a parking garage. With its distinctive black, white and green geometric pa ...

downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business distric ...

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

. A variety of luminaries have stayed at the hotel, including

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination i ...

. The hotel staff innovated

Lawrence Welk Lawrence Welk (March 11, 1903 – May 17, 1992) was an American accordionist, bandleader, and television impresario, who hosted the ''The Lawrence Welk Show'' from 1951 to 1982. His style came to be known as "champagne music" to his radio, tele ...

's now famous bubble machine, and it was the site of

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in more than 70 short and feature films, with 5 ...

's marriage proposal in 1934. 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. Omni William Penn Hotel, Pittsburgh is a member of

Historic Hotels of America Historic Hotels of America is a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation that was founded in 1989 with 32 charter members; the program accepts nominations and identifies hotels that have maintained their authenticity, sense of pla ...

, the official program of the

National Trust for Historic Preservation The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a privately funded, nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that works in the field of historic preservation in the United States. The member-supported organization was founded in 1949 by ...

. 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 The ''Pittsburgh City Paper'' is Pittsburgh's leading alternative weekly newspaper which focuses on local news, opinion, and arts and entertainment. It bought out ''In Pittsburgh Weekly'' in 2001. As of April 2015, ''City Paper'' is the 14th l ...

''.

History

Built from 1915 to 1916, the $6 million William Penn opened on March 11, 1916, in what newspapers hailed as the Grandest Hotel in the nation, its first night it hosted the annual Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce Gala and was recorded as the largest gala in city history up to that time with

U.S. Secretary of State The United States secretary of state is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State. The office holder is one of the highest ranking members of the president's Ca ...

Philander Knox Philander Chase Knox (May 6, 1853October 12, 1921) was an American lawyer, bank director and politician. A member of the Republican Party, Knox served in the Cabinet of three different presidents and represented Pennsylvania in the United States ...

hosting the event. The original hotel covered the western half of the block, facing Mellon Square.

Ownership history

The hotel was bought from its original owners, the Pittsburgh Hotel Company, in 1928 by the

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 had 22 properties, and it was the largest privately held hotel business in the United States. About Owned by hotel mag ...

Eugene Eppley Eugene C. Eppley (April 8, 1884 – October 14, 1958) also known as Gene, was a hotel magnate in Omaha, Nebraska. Eppley is credited with single-handedly building one of the most successful hotel empires, by the 1950s the largest privately owned h ...

financed a major expansion in 1929, filling the remaining eastern half of the block, that made the William Penn the second largest hotel in the world. The expansion brought the number of rooms to 1600 and included an

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...

ballroom atop the hotel conceived by noted designer

Joseph Urban Joseph Urban (May 26, 1872 – July 10, 1933) was an Austrian-American architect, illustrator, and scenic designer. Life and career Joseph Urban was born on May 26, 1872, in Vienna. He received his first architectural commission at age 19 wh ...

. However Eppley lost control of the hotel during the Great Depression and the new owners brought in

Statler Hotels The Statler Hotel company was one of the United States' early chains of hotels catering to traveling businessmen and tourists. It was founded by Ellsworth Milton (E. M.) Statler in Buffalo, New York. Early ventures In 1901, Buffalo hosted the ...

, which managed the hotel from 1940-1951. Eppley regained controlling interest between 1950-1954, assuming management of the hotel back from Statler on January 1, 1952. The hotel's sale on June 4, 1956 from the

to the

Sheraton Corporation Sheraton Hotels and Resorts is an international semi-luxury hotel chain owned by Marriott International. As of June 30, 2020, Sheraton operates 446 hotels with 155,617 rooms globally, including locations in North America, Africa, Asia Pacific, Ce ...

was part of the second largest hotel sale in United States history. The hotel was renamed the Penn-Sheraton Hotel. Sheraton sold the hotel on May 22, 1968 to Nomarl, a group of local investors, for $7.75 million and the William Penn returned to its original name. With less demand for hotels in the city, Nomarl reduced the number of rooms from 1300 to 900, with the unused rooms turned to dorms for

Duquesne University Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit ( or ; Duquesne University or Duquesne) is a private Catholic research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded by members of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, Duquesne first opened as the Pittsbu ...

. Nomarl, in turn, sold the hotel to

Alcoa Alcoa Corporation (an acronym for Aluminum Company of America) is a Pittsburgh-based industrial corporation. It is the world's eighth-largest producer of aluminum. Alcoa conducts operations in 10 countries. Alcoa is a major producer of primary ...

in 1971. In 1984, Alcoa brought in

Westin Hotels Westin Hotels & Resorts is an American upscale hotel chain owned by Marriott International. , the Westin Brand has 226 properties with 82,608 rooms in multiple countries in addition to 58 hotels with 15,741 rooms in the pipeline. History Wester ...

to manage the hotel, which became the Westin William Penn, following $20 million in renovations which reduced the hotel from 840 to 650 rooms within the enormous building. Finally, the hotel was acquired by

Omni Hotels & Resorts Omni Hotels & Resorts is an American privately held, international luxury hotel company based in Dallas, Texas. The company was founded in 1958 as Dunfey Hotels, and operates 50 properties in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, totaling over 2 ...

and was renamed Omni William Penn on January 31, 2001.

Events & notable guests

Among the major events that the hotel has hosted: *November 10, 1921: A banquet in

Marshal Foch Ferdinand Foch ( , ; 2 October 1851 – 20 March 1929) was a French general and military theorist who served as the Supreme Allied Commander during the First World War. An aggressive, even reckless commander at the First Marne, Flanders and Art ...

's honor hosted by the governor and mayor. *April 28, 1930:

The Gideons International Gideons International is an Evangelical Christian association for men founded in 1899 in Janesville, Wisconsin. The Gideons' primary activity, along with their wives in the Auxiliary, is "encouraging each other to do the work of the Lord, focusin ...

holds its 50th annual convention at the hotel, passing out over 500 bibles. *October 2, 1930: The

Institute of Transportation Engineers The Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) is an international educational and scientific association of transportation professionals who are responsible for meeting mobility and safety needs. ITE facilitates the application of technology and ...

was formed in a meeting at the hotel. *October 17, 1930: A Gala for the governors of the Pittsburgh Tri-State (Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia) celebrated with speeches and presentations on the opening of the

Lincoln Highway The Lincoln Highway is the first transcontinental highway in the United States and one of the first highways designed expressly for automobiles. Conceived in 1912 by Indiana entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher, and formally dedicated October 31, 1913 ...

in their respective states. *November 3, 1930: A statement from President

Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was an American politician who served as the 31st president of the United States from 1929 to 1933 and a member of the Republican Party, holding office during the onset of the Gr ...

is released at the gala celebrating the 10th anniversary of

KDKA-AM KDKA () is a Class A, clear channel, AM radio station, owned and operated by Audacy, Inc. and licensed to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Its radio studios are located at the combined Audacy Pittsburgh facility in the Foster Plaza o ...

and the world's radio industry. *January to February, 1937: Count Basie and His Orchestra play the "Chatterbox." Live broadcast recorded and issued in 1974 by Jazz Archives Recordings (JA-16). First known recording of Basie band with Lester Young, Hershel Evans, Buck Clayton, et al. *March 26, 1938: The formation of

Point State Park Point State Park (locally known as The Point) is a Pennsylvania state park on in Downtown Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA, at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers, forming the Ohio River. Built on land acqu ...

and what would become the Pittsburgh Renaissance is announced in the ballroom to 600 invited local leaders and dignitaries. *July 17, 1942: The

United Steelworkers The United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union, commonly known as the United Steelworkers (USW), is a general trade union with members across North America. Headquar ...

hold a major conference in response to wartime steel needs and accepted the 44 cents wage proposed by the War Labor Board. *November 2, 1944: Address by Vice President

Harry S Truman Harry may refer to: TV shows * ''Harry'' (American TV series), a 1987 American comedy series starring Alan Arkin * ''Harry'' (British TV series), a 1993 BBC drama that ran for two seasons * ''Harry'' (talk show), a 2016 American daytime talk show ...

. *January 15, 1948: Secretary of State and retired General of the Army and Army Chief of Staff,

George C. Marshall George Catlett Marshall Jr. (December 31, 1880 – October 16, 1959) was an American army officer and statesman. He rose through the United States Army to become Chief of Staff of the United States Army, Chief of Staff of the US Army under Pre ...

delivers a nationally aired address to the 74th annual meeting of the Chamber of Commerce. He also made world news ending speculation that he would run for president. *February 15, 1950: The first annual

Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy The Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy, referred to internationally as Pittcon, is a non-profit educational organization based in Pennsylvania that organizes an annual Conference and Exposition on laboratory sc ...

is held in the hotel. *December 6, 1954: 118 businesses, schools & hospitals, all 80 years or older, are honored at the

Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce The Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce is a Pittsburgh area non-profit that promotes business and community development throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania. Founded on December 5, 1874 the chamber received its charter on July 8, 1876 due to ...

's 80th anniversary gala, hosted by William Block of the '' Post-Gazette's'' William Block & Scaife Co.'s Alan Scaife, the 2 oldest firms. *October 8–9, 1956: Presidents

and

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

both stay at the hotel in the heat of their campaigns as Eisenhower gives a major speech in the hotel's ballroom. *November 1, 1956: Adlai Stevenson,

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

Pat Nixon Thelma Catherine "Pat" Nixon (''née'' Ryan; March 16, 1912 – June 22, 1993) was First Lady of the United States from 1969 to 1974 as the wife of President Richard Nixon. She also served as Second Lady of the United States from 1953 to 1961 wh ...

stay the night at the hotel. *September 3–5, 1960: The

18th World Science Fiction Convention The 18th World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon), also known as Pittcon, was held on 3–5 September 1960 at the Penn-Sheraton Hotel in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The convention was chaired by Dirce Archer. Participants A ...

is held at the hotel. *September 21, 1963:

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

hosts a major speech at the hotel and stays the night in the presidential suite. *April 3, 1970:

Zoo A zoo (short for zoological garden; also called an animal park or menagerie) is a facility in which animals are kept within enclosures for public exhibition and often bred for Conservation biology, conservation purposes. The term ''zoological g ...

president Edward Magee addresses a Rotary conference along with Rani the 8-month-old elephant, 2 lambs, a snapping turtle, donkey, llama & eagle. *September 3, 1980:

Maureen Reagan Maureen Elizabeth Reagan (January 4, 1941 – August 8, 2001) was an American political activist and the first child of U.S. president Ronald Reagan and his first wife, actress Jane Wyman. Her brother is Michael Reagan and her half-siblings ar ...

on the campaign trail for her father,

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

, who speaks at a fundraiser at the hotel. *October 31, 1980:

visits for a speech. *April 5, 1984:

Walter Mondale Walter Frederick "Fritz" Mondale (January 5, 1928 – April 19, 2021) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 42nd vice president of the United States from 1977 to 1981 under President Jimmy Carter. A U.S. senator from Minnesota ...

speaks at a reception held in his honor at the hotel. *June 20–22, 1999: The 2nd annual International Trails & Greenways Conference. From 1939 until the 1960s the hotel was the annual host for the region's Dapper Dan Sports Awards Banquet.

Gallery

File:William Penn Hotel light show.jpg, Exterior of the hotel during a light show in 2008 File:William Penn Hotel lobby.jpg, The lobby File:WPH from One Mellon Square Park.jpg, View of Omni William Penn Hotel from

References

External links

Official website

Online image collection from the Archives Service Center, University of Pittsburgh {{National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Hotel buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Hotel buildings completed in 1916 Hotel buildings completed in 1929 Hotels established in 1916 Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation Historic Landmarks Skyscraper hotels in Pittsburgh Art Deco architecture in Pennsylvania National Register of Historic Places in Pittsburgh Sheraton hotels Historic Hotels of America