Historic Register Tour - Malmgren House

HISTORIC NAME	Malmgren House
COMMON NAME
DATE BUILT	1910
ARCHITECT/BUILDER	Cutter & Malmgren
PROPERTY STYLE
ON THE SPOKANE REGISTER	Yes - added 9/30/91
NATIONAL REGISTER	No
IN A DISTRICT	Yes - District
DISTRICT	Marycliff-Cliff Park Historic District
NEIGHBORHOOD	Cliff/Cannon

STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE

Karl Malmgren, the architect and original owner of this house, was a partner in the noted firm of Cutter and Malmgren between 1894 and 1917. Cutter and Malmgren was one of the most prolific and prestigious partnerships in the Northwest, and their designs remain well respected. Their many commissions included the Amasa Campbell House, the Patrick Clark Mansion, the Davenport Hotel, and numerous other prominent residences and structures in the Spokane area and elsewhere; however, as the architect’s private residence, the Malmgren House provides a particularly unique reflection of this firm’s architectural abilities and interests. Completed in 1910, the house was executed on a grand scale, and reflects Malmgren’s own adaptation of Craftsman Style principles. The liberal use of wood, basalt rock, tile, chimneypieces, window seats, and built-in furnishings was intended to make each room seem complete before any furniture was added. The home retains excellent integrity, and is significant both in its association with Cutter and Malmgren and as an interesting example of the Craftsman Style of architecture.