William Penn Hotel
By Dllu - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0
Location:
530 William Penn Pl, Pittsburgh, PA 15219
Description:
The Omni William Penn Hotel, located at 530 William Penn Place in downtown Pittsburgh, is a grand 23‑story Beaux‑Arts landmark originally built for industrial titan Henry Clay Frick. Designed by Benno Janssen and Franklin Abbott, it opened on March 11, 1916, at a cost of $6 million, and was hailed as “the grandest hotel in the nation” that evening when it hosted a record‑breaking Chamber of Commerce gala. In 1929, the Eppley Hotel Company expanded the hotel across Mellon Square with a 600‑room annex and the iconic Art Deco Urban Room atop the building, making it the largest hotel between Chicago and New York.
Over the decades, the hotel changed hands—managed by Statler, renamed Penn‑Sheraton, and later Westin—reducing its original 1,600 rooms to around 650 through renovations in the 1980s. In 2001, Omni Hotels & Resorts acquired the property, restoring its historic charm and renaming it the Omni William Penn. Today, the hotel offers 597 elegantly appointed guest rooms and 38 suites, along with 52,000 sq ft of event space, six dining venues—including the original Terrace Room, Palm Court, Tap Room, 1920s‑style Speakeasy, and Starbucks coffee shop—and amenities such as a fitness center and valet parking.
Recognized as a Pittsburgh institution, it’s both a member of Historic Hotels of America and a Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation landmark (designated 1972), with a long guest list featuring presidents from Theodore Roosevelt to John F. Kennedy and Barack Obama, as well as celebrities like Bob Hope and John du Pont. The hotel also earned its place in pop culture, appearing as the Foxcatcher Farm in the 2014 movie Foxcatcher.
With its commanding presence overlooking Mellon Square, the Omni William Penn stands as Pittsburgh’s enduring “Grande Dame”—a blend of Old‑World elegance, modern comforts, historic prestige, and cultural resonance nearly 110 years after it first welcomed guests.
