Omni William Penn Inviting Public To Help Celebrate 100 Years

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - One of Pittsburgh's most prestigious hotels is marking a big milestone this year.

The Omni William Penn is turning 100.

Over the years, the hotel has hosted movie stars, politicians, world leaders.

In fact, every seated United States president since Theodore Roosevelt has been there.

"The hotel has been such an integral part of the community. I think it's really neat to invite the public in to just celebrate with us," Bob Page, the hotel's director of sales and marketing, said.

The hotel's rich history will be front and center next week.

There are big plans to mark the centennial beginning on March 9 - the exact day the William Penn opened in 1916.

A giant birthday cake set up right in the lobby will start the party.

"It will be 5 feet high, 5 feet wide, it will weigh about 2,000 pounds and will feed about 10,000 slices of cake," Page said.

The public is welcome and you can even buy a candle for $1.

All of the proceeds will go to Variety the Children's Charity, which provides adaptive bikes to children with disabilities.

Next Thursday will be all about fashion in the hotel.

"Fashion has always been in style at the William Penn, so we're going to do a fashion show through the decades show," Page said.

On Friday, your taste buds can travel back in time. There will be a throwback menu in the Terrace Room.

"A lot of the ingredients, a lot of the techniques and stuff that they were doing at the turn of the century are all of a sudden back again, oysters were huge on the 1916 menu, just like they are today," Executive Chef Brian Riddle said.

Throughout the month, there will tours of the hotel and historical memorabilia on display.