 The building was opened in 1933 by the U.S. government as a United States Marine Hospital Service hospital . Replacing a facility in Port Townsend , it opened with 312 beds in 1933 . The hospital originally served veterans , merchant seamen , the US Coast Guard , the US Lighthouse Service , and poor and indigent people defined as “ federal compensation cases ” . In 1951 , it was re @-@ designated as a US Public Health Service facility along with all other Marine hospitals . In 1953 , a three @-@ story annex was constructed on the east end of the building to serve outpatient clinics . Two stair towers were added to the south face in 1975 . The building continued to grow in 1980 as a laboratory and primary care addition were built . The federal government ceased operation of the facility and other similar hospitals in 1981 . Control was shifted to Seattle , and the city chartered the Pacific Hospital Preservation and Development Authority ( PHPDA ) . The PHPDA owns the property and uses long @-@ term tenants with leases . Lease revenues are advance the PHPDA ’ s mission of providing health care services to low @-@ income uninsured and under @-@ insured persons in King County . The lease agreement with <unk> Tower LLC was signed in 1998 and was terminated in 2012 . 
