The Old Days

Black and white photo of a corner hotel building with multiple cars parked in front, street signs, and utility poles.

The Virginia Inn (or the V.I. as it’s known to locals) began in 1903 as a saloon beneath the Hotel Livingston under the name the “Virginia Bar.” It finally took on the official name “Virginia Inn” by 1908. Despite building codes prohibiting buildings constructed with timber after the 1889 Great Seattle Fire, the building is made out of wood with a brick façade to hide it. When Pike Place Market opened in 1907, it was already established as a local watering hole.

This photo appeared in the Seattle Post Intelligencer on October 15, 1903. With the notorious weather conditions in Seattle, this side of 1st Ave. was little better than a bog. All day a man sat with a fishing pole in a canoe on the corner, a salmon splashing around on the end of his fishing line. This stunt was performed as a protest at the deplorable conditions of the road. An amused crowd of onlookers stood by all day, one holding up a sign that reads, “Take the ferry to the Virginia Bar."

The V.I. was co-owned by Italian immigrants Joe Vittonatto and Victor Canonica (pictured behind the bar) during the 1930s. It was registered as a public card room and during Prohibition changed its name to the Virginia Soft Drink Parlor (but we’re guessing they were drinking something a little stronger). Photo courtesy of Vittonatto’s relatives in Italy.

The view looking North on 1st Ave & Virginia St in 1905.

The Recent Past

Joe Rossi owned the bar from 1948 until the late 70s. The V.I. had a reputation as a Skid Row institution, a true dive bar filled with old timers day drinking schooners of beer & playing cards.

The famous sign advertised the words 'Lunch'” and 'Cards'” in 1972.

The building underwent a large renovation after its purchase in 1977 by the Pike Place Market Preservation and Development Authority (PDA). The upstairs hotel rooms were officially converted into apartments. This photo is from 1972, prior to reconstruction.

During the 1977 remodel, the V.I. was temporarily relocated half a block North for one year during construction, and then moved back.

Patrice Demombynes and Jim Fotheringham purchased the V.I. in 1981 and owned it for nearly 40 years. They expanded in 2008 to the neighboring space and doubled the size of the restaurant. With that transition, the V.I. left its dive bar roots to become a French-inspired bistro.

Demombynes and Fotheringham heralded the V.I. as one of the first art bars in the city. A rotating local artist has been on display ever since. Under their leadership, the V.I. also became one of first smoke free bars in Seattle in the late 80s. The V.I. was a known hangout in the 90s for grunge artists, with the nearby Sub Pop headquarters located directly across the street.

Our Claim to Fame

The Virginia Inn was featured in the hit 1992 grunge film, “Singles,” directed by Cameron Crowe, and starring Matt Dillon and Kyra Sedgwick.

A man and woman walking on a city street with buildings, cars, and pedestrians in the background. The man has dark hair and is wearing a brown jacket, while the woman has blonde hair and is wearing a dark coat.
A woman with curly hair and a man with dark hair sitting at a table in a café, with a window view of cars and people outside.
A man with curly hair and a woman with long hair are in a romantic pose in a restaurant. The woman is leaning in to kiss the man's cheek, and he has a surprised or intense expression. There are two glasses of red wine and a small vase with pink and white flowers on the table. In the background, a couple is sitting at another table near a brick wall.

Our iconic space was also featured in the press photos for the 1991 Gus Van Sant film, “My Own Private Idaho,” starring Rivers Phoenix and Keanu Reeves.

Three young people outside a building, one sitting on the ground leaning against the wall, two standing nearby, one looking at their phone, and another looking at the camera, with a window and brick wall in the background.
Four young people sitting around a table in a diner, two men and two women, with a window and street scene in the background.

To learn more about the history of the Virginia Inn, we suggest the following article from the Seattle Met.

The Livingston Baker Building Has Tales to Tell