MarQueen Hotel

Built in 1918 as the Seattle Engineering School, it was used to retrain blacksmiths to work at the Ford assembly plant on Lake Union. In 1920, the school opened the Kuay (say "Q.A") training garage (later named the MarQueen Garage, and currently 10 Mercer Restaurant) which was then considered the largest single garage in the city. The building operated as a school and a working garage for more than 50 years.

Due to the emergence an the cultural impact of the automobile, blacksmiths and mechanics occupied important societal roles. Because automobile construction was a labor intensive process, mechanics were in demand and were generally treated better than other members of the working class. Commonly referred to as "doctors of motors", they were provided with plush housing and maintained a high status in society. The apex of this well-regarded "car culture" was the building that is now the MarQueen Hotel.