Mayflower Park Hotel Renovation Remodeled A Couple's Way Of Life

DOWNTOWN SEATTLE

When Birney Dempcy bought what is now the Mayflower Park Hotel, he never dreamed that he and his wife would actually run the place.

Now, 18 years later, the profitable business is a way of life for the Dempcys.

The hotel will celebrate its 65th anniversary this year. And the Dempcys are collecting stories about the hotel's history.

The basics are known. It was built in 1927 by Stephen Berg and designed by local architect B. Dudley Stuart; the property is among the oldest restored hotels in continuous operation in downtown Seattle. The 210-room hotel cost $120,000 to build.

In 1974, Birney and Marie Dempcy, along with a small group of partners, bought the hotel for about $1.1 million.

"We bought the hotel at a time when downtown was going to die," said Birney Dempcy, managing owner. "The new wave was motels and shopping centers on the highways."

A tax attorney at the time, he bought the hotel as a tax shelter. His wife was a homemaker with four children.

For Marie, who is the Mayflower's vice president, ownership of a hotel was a total surprise. But when she saw the old hotel for the first time, she cried. "It was so sadly neglected."

She helped for the first few weeks of renovation. "After that, I just never left. There was always just one more thing to do."

The Dempcys' renovation has lasted 18 years and cost more than $5 million. "We fell in love with the place and wanted to make it

the kind of place we knew it could be," she added.

"It's been a real challenge to improve the hotel, while, at the same time not inconveniencing the guests," Birney Dempcy explained.

But the challenge has paid off. The hotel has 178 new rooms, from singles to large suites. The staff has grown from 20 in 1927 to 110 employees today. The old-time barbershop and coffee shop have been turned into a new restaurant, Clippers.

The hotel, adjacent to Westlake Center and across the street from The Bon Marche, has a nearly 74 percent occupancy rate. "We're doing very well," Marie Dempcy said.

Birney Dempcy said the hotel does not try to compete with other downtown hotels. "We've found our niche," he added.

Now, for the 65th anniversary, the Dempcys want to reclaim some of the hotel's past. "We are trying to reconstruct its true history," Marie Dempcy said.

Originally called the Bergonian, its name was changed to the Mayflower Park Hotel in 1974.

They are seeking the most interesting stories about people and events from the past. For the best story, the winner will receive an all-expense-paid weekend for two at the hotel. Runners-up will receive dinners for two at Clippers.

All stories can be sent to: Marie Dempcy, Mayflower Park Hotel, 405 Olive Way, Seattle, Wash., 98101, or call (206) 623-8700.