Originally published Saturday, August 23, 2008 at 12:00 AM
Rosario Resort to close Oct. 20
The venerable Rosario Resort and Spa on Orcas Island will close Oct. 20, three weeks after it is scheduled to be sold at auction. What happens to the resort's 195 workers after that is very much up in the air.
Seattle Times business reporter
The venerable Rosario Resort and Spa on Orcas Island will close Oct. 20, three weeks after it is scheduled to be sold at auction. What happens to the resort's 195 workers after that is very much up in the air.
The resort's present owner, Olympus Real Estate Partners, of Dallas, has filed a formal notice with the state Employment Security Department that Rosario's work force would be permanently laid off as of that date.
However, an Olympus spokesperson said that was intended mainly to give the new owners, whomever they are, a free hand in operating and redeveloping the 73.8 acre property.
Olympus, which has owned Rosario since 1998, recently obtained approval from San Juan County for a "resort master plan" to guide Rosario's development. That approval would pass to the new owners, should they choose to follow the plan.
The resort's centerpiece is the 25,000-square-foot Moran Mansion, built in 1909 by former Seattle Mayor Robert Moran. The property has 131 rooms and suites in 10 buildings, as well as a 30-slip marina.
The redevelopment master plan envisions 221 lodging units at full build-out, including waterfront cottages, condominiums and a new upscale hotel, along with new shops, restaurants and an expanded spa and fitness center.
Looky-loos are out of luck: The auction, set for 1 p.m. Sept. 30, is open only to qualified bidders. Would-be owners must, among other things, submit financial information showing that they can actually afford to buy the resort, and bring a $250,000 cashier's check.
Drew DeSilver: 206-464-3145 or ddesilver@seattletimes.com
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
Landmark Smith Tower mostly vacant
Toyota's Toyoda scolds execs for emulating U.S. car companies' mistakes
Money Makeover: Financial makeover: A "go-getter" goes after her spending habit
Do your homework before buying brokered CDs
Mutual-fund deposits shift into low gear

2009 fireworks time lapse
With strict parking rules enforced at this year's July 4th celebration on Wallingford Ave North, less cars and more spectators filled the streets.
Entertainment | Top Video | World | Offbeat Video | Sci-Tech
shopping

events for Sunday, Jul. 5th
- Nordstrom Men's Half-Yearly Sale
- IKEA Summer Sale
- Blackbird Spring Half-Yearly Sale
- Seattle Premium Outlets July 4th Summ...
editors' picks
- Outdoors and sporting goods stores
- Phinney Ridge & Greenwood shopping
- Shoes and accessories stores
- Top spots for tea
- Plasma and LCD beware; OLED screens ready to go mainstream
- Former NFL MVP McNair killed
- Russell Branyan, Mariners fight off the Red Sox
- Landmark Smith Tower mostly vacant
- Palin takes to Web for hints of political future
- Fourth of July festivals and fireworks in Seattle, the suburbs and beyond
- Property taxes: Appeals shoot up in King, Snohomish Counties
- The Blotter | Man pistol-whipped after argument at nightclub
- Palin links resignation to 'higher calling' and blasts media in Facebook posting
- Desert-lobster dispute turns pair into sagebrush heroes
- Palin resigning as Alaska governor
773 - Seattle Mariners at Boston Red Sox: 07/05 game thread
246 - Palin links resignation to 'higher calling' and blasts media in Facebook posting
131 - Former NFL MVP McNair killed
105 - Hatred for the NBA runs deep, but don't take it out on the players
99 - Tukwila residents rally against light-rail noise
91 - Property taxes: Appeals shoot up is King, Snohomish Counties
79 - Tent City on campus: UW stalls decision
64 - Anti-tax rally in Olympia attracts about 1,500
48 - Seeking your questions
40
- Plasma and LCD beware; OLED screens ready to go mainstream
- Merchant Marine veterans fight for recognition
- Property taxes: Appeals shoot up in King, Snohomish Counties
- Hard times for tourist towns means good deals for travelers
- Close-up | Prison guards intercept carrier pigeon with a cellphone
- Pre-grill drill: marinate steaks
- Concert Review | Green Day blasts off 4th weekend with KeyArena show
- Amtrak cleared for 2nd daily train to Vancouver, B.C.
- Lake Washington's sockeye run may hit a record low
- Landmark Smith Tower mostly vacant



