History:

Known as the fastest draw in Spokane, German-born “Dutch” Jacob Goetz worked his way west to Idaho with gambling partner Harry F. Baer in 1883 when gold was discovered in the Coeur d’Alene Mountains. Operating a rough and tumble saloon and gambling hall in Murray, Idaho, Baer and Goetz hit it big in the famous Bunker Hill and Sullivan mines. Selling their interests in both mines in the late 1880s, the pair moved west to Spokane Falls where they invested all their money in the four-story Frankfurt Building, which was destroyed not long after in the Great Fire of 1889. Without money or gambling hall, Goetz and Baer sent away to Portland for the biggest tent and quickly set up shop in “tent city” offering gambling and steak dinners. The partners had soon acquired enough money to rebuild and in 1894, the Coeur d’Alene Hotel, located on the corner of Spokane Falls Blvd. and Howard St., was constructed. Hotel, gambling hall, dancehall, restaurant, Turkish bath, theater, and saloon, the Couer d’Alene, known as the “Hotel with Personality”, was soon the talk of the town, as was its owner “Dutch” Jake.  

A good man known for his big heart, “Dutch” Jake was said to have bailed men out of debt and drink in his gambling hall, slipping them $100 and sending them home when they'd lost it all, and feeding the down and out in his basement. “Dutch” Jake was also known for his annual picnics held every August at a resort or lake of Jake’s choosing and only open to members of his "Go To Hell Club", an all-male organization established by the self-made mining man. “Dutch” Jake gave new meaning to a square deal and lived by his motto, “Don’t tell ‘em; Keep going”, which he had embroidered on shirts and painted on the spare tire of his car. 

Jake and his wife Louisa purchased lots 26-30 in 1902 and had this house at 2420 W. Gardner constructed in 1907. Following Jake's death in 1927, the home sold several times. During the early 1950s, the home was converted into four multi-family apartments with the carriage house as a second dwelling. By the 1980s, the home was being utilized as seven apartment units. Following years of neglect, the home was condemned in 1990 and scheduled for demolition. The current owners purchased the home in a sheriff's auction in 1991 and have since renovated the entire property. 

Architectural Description:

The "Dutch" Jake and Louisa Goetz house is a one-and-a-half-story side-gabled Arts and Crafts style home. The front (south) facade of the home features a full-width under-the-roof front porch supported by three channeled wood columns connected by a turned wood balustrade. The front facade is dominated by a centered inset gabled dormer with a turned wood balustrade and gable ornament. The single-story side-gable addition to the east was added by architect L.L. Rand in 1926, shortly before "Dutch" Jake's death. 

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