Browne's
Addition Historic District encompasses a well-preserved residential
section south of the Spokane River gorge and immediately west of
the city center. It was platted in the 1880's and intensively
developed for well-to-do clients around the turn of the century.
Within its boundaries is a concentrated architectural aggregate
including nearly every residential style fashionable in the Pacific
Northwest between 1880 and 1930. Moreover, the district is
replete with coniferous and deciduous trees, mostly exotic stock,
planted along the streets and in the neighborhood park in response
to recommendations made to the Board of Park Commissioners by Olmsted
Brothers Landscape Architects of Brookline, Massachusetts in 1907.
Named
for the serene park that provides the neighborhood's focal point,
the
Corbin Park National Historic District is significant for its association with D.C.
Corbin and other men important in the early development of Spokane.
It is significant also as an area of well-preserved typical early
twentieth century homes. The state of preservation of these
homes is evidence of the effectiveness of Corbin's community planning
efforts and also of subsequent utilization of good landscape architecture.
Throughout three-fourths of a century, the area has been home to
people intimately involved in the professions and commerce in Spokane.
The
Desmet Avenue Warehouse Historic District is located slightly north
of the Spokane River and the commercial downtown of Spokane.
The district is composed of six commercial buildings with a long
tenure of warehousing and manufacturing associations. Choice
of this locale for such buildings was based on the availability
of land and proximity of nearby railroad transport. Construction
of a majority of these structures occurred between 1904 and 1915,
and roughly coincided with the most productive period of building
activity in Spokane. While singly configured as one or multi-storied
buildings, this ensemble of warehouses represents one of the larger
and most cohesive groupings of such structures remaining on the
north side of the Spokane River.
The
East Downtown Historic District is a collection of historically
significant commercial, mixed-use and warehouse buildings anchored
by the Northern Pacific Railway Depot. The district is on the
eastern edge of Spokane’s central business district. Since the
1890’s, this area has been an important part of the downtown’s
industrial and commercial heritage by providing housing and
business establishments that met the needs of those who came to
Spokane to work and live either temporarily or permanently. Two
predominant property types have historically characterized the
district—warehouses and single room occupancy hotels. This
historic district comprises approximately twenty-seven square
blocks with a total of 107 resources of which 83 (78%) are
historically contributing. The period of significance for the
district begins in 1890 with the construction of the Northern
Pacific Railway Depot and Fire Station #1 following the great fire
of 1889. Over half of the buildings within the district date from
the period between 1900 and 1910, which represented the city’s
most pronounced period of economic and population growth
Felts
Field Historic District is significantly associated with the growth
of aviation in the Inland Northwest, serving as the region's first
and, for two decades, principal commercial and military airport.
The contributing structures, including historic civilian and military
hangars, passenger terminal, National Guard Headquarters, and a commemorative
clock tower, closely reflect the development of aviation in Spokane
from the mid-1920s to 1941. Although the airlines and National
Guard unit relocated by the late 1940s, the buildings remain well-preserved and still reflect the Moderne idiom and functional characteristics
of the historic period.
Fort
George Wright is a significant reminder of Spokane's long military
history. Designed as a replacement for Fort Spokane located
about
50 miles to the northwest, the military reservation was in use from 1897
to 1958, creating new social, economic and community growth patterns
for the city. Planned as a regimental post, the failure to
fulfill this purpose had a well-defined effect on the northwest
military effort in World War II. It is architecturally one
of the best-preserved forts in the Inland Empire, due to a hiatus of post-war development. Its tree-lined lanes
and red brick buildings belie its military past.
The
Four Corners District is the birthplace of the present City of Spokane.
James Glover, the founder of Spokane, developed the intersection
and named and layed out the streets.
An inscription on a plaque on the Coeur d'Alene
Hotel on the South-East corner of the intersection of Trent and Howard
explains the significance of the district:
The village of "Spokane Falls"
began at this intersection in 1871 when James Glover erected his store
on the S.W. corner. This store harbored the first post office,
bank, city hall, court room and theater. California House stood
on the N.E. corner. The Glover and Gilliam Livery Stable on the
N.W. corner, Glover's residence on the S.E. corner. All of the
original buildings were destroyed in the great fire of 1889.
The
Hillyard Historic Business District has been the social and commercial
hub of Hillyard, Washington for over 100 years. Hillyard developed
as a “railroad town” for the hundreds of workers and their families
who were employed at the Great Northern Railroad’s western regional
terminal facility--the internationally acclaimed railyard that at
one time manufactured the heaviest and most powerful steam locomotives
in the world. The huge rail yard was constructed in 1892, the same
year Hillyard was planned and platted, and was located adjacent
to the Hillyard Historic Business District. Stimulated by the enormous
success of the rail center, the town of Hillyard thrived. The Hillyard
Historic Business District was the market place and heart of
the community and provided the town’s necessary staples, sundries,
and services such as food, clothing, shelter, business enterprise,
and places for socializing.
Through the first half of the 20th century, Hillyard continued to grow and adapt in response to changing patterns in government, commerce, technology, and the Great Northern Railroad. The Hillyard Historic Business District illustrates these changes in tangible ways. As a whole, the district represents the physical evolution of the heart of a small working class community developed in response to the Great Northern Railroad’s distribution and manufacturing center.
The
Marycliff-Cliff Park District of Spokane has been the residential
area for many prominent and influential people throughout Spokane's
history. From its earliest development in the late 1880's
to the present day, the area's residents have included the leading
citizens of Spokane: bankers, senators, businessmen, mining and
lumber entrepreneurs, as well as prominent doctors, lawyers, and
architects. As is often the case where the wealthy live, the
area rapidly became a showplace of architectural styles - a number
of the homes having been designed by Spokane's leading architects.
Developed
in the late 19th century through the combined efforts of Spokane
speculators and Jesuit missionaries, the Mission Avenue Historic
District is the most intact remnant of the city's first residential
suburbs, and includes a significant collection of late 19th and
early 20th century houses located on one of the city's oldest landscaped
boulevards. Seven blocks in length, the district is unified
by the canopy of trees that divides the broad boulevard. Facing
the street on either side are a variety of Queen Anne, Four Square,
Craftsman, and Bungalow style houses that reflect the substantial
architecture of the period and the original suburban character of
the area. While other parts of the boulevard have suffered
from new construction, the district still reflects a period when
the district was an impressive drive that formed the centerpiece
of one of the city's finest residential neighborhoods.
Upon
inspection, the Ninth Avenue Historic District quickly establishes
itself as an area possessing unusual qualities which distinguish
it from its contemporaries and later counterparts. Certainly
its association with A.M. Cannon are significant. In addition,
within this district's boundaries there are many impressive residences
built for
the community's social and financial elite. Their designs reflect the most popular
architectural styles of the day, ranging from the stately Queen
Anne to the modest bungalow. Yet, in addition to the majestic
homes of Spokane's more prominent citizens, the Ninth Avenue Historic
District was also home to an emerging middle class. Teachers, merchants,
and contractors purchased homes in the area, creating a neighborhood
diverse not only in its architectural composition, but in its economic
and social representation as well.
The
Peaceful Valley Historic District is significant as a rare and intact
example of a working-class neighborhood dating from the turn of
the century. Many neighborhoods like Peaceful Valley once
existed throughout the state; however, very few have survived without
substantial alterations. While the historic value of such
neighborhoods is not frequently recognized, this type of district
presents a far more accurate picture of the lives of "ordinary"
Americans than the courthouses or homes of the well-to-do that are
more commonly preserved. Peaceful Valley was a distinct enclave
within the city of Spokane, both physically and socially.
This division has been maintained and Peaceful Valley remains one
of the most historically intact neighborhoods in Spokane.
Riverside
Avenue, between Monroe and Cedar, is undoubtedly Spokane's most
beautiful avenue, flanked on both sides with attractive buildings.
Since 1901, the small district has increasingly developed a striking
individual character in architecture, usage and atmosphere.
With the erection of Our Lady of Lourdes Cathedral in 1902, the trend towards
stately dignity continued until 1931 with the completion of the
Civic Building. The character of the district has been firmly
established through the developmental role of each structure in
the district. Their individual contributions were of such
high quality that the texture of the whole is more than the sum
of the individual structures. The district has been unified
during the past 75 years by the pomp and circumstance of long usage
and general intent.
The
nationally renowned Olmsted Brothers landscape architects of
Brookline, Massachusetts designed the layout of this distinctive
neighborhood, with its steep slopes, basalt rock outcroppings, and
curvilinear streets connecting a series of pleasing green spaces.It is home to a variety of architectural styles that reflect
the evolution of the preferences of residential designers,
builders, and their customers during the first half of the
twentieth century.The
men most instrumental in the development of the neighborhood, Jay
P. Graves and Aubrey White, played major roles in shaping the
character and form of the city as a whole; Graves through his
investment in railroad and real estate development, and White as
the great champion of the Spokane park system.Architectural styles bridge the gap between the waning days
of Spokane’s “Age of Elegance” and the new generation of
designers and builders who left their imprint on Spokane’s built
environment during the 1930s and 1940s.
Spokane
grew to become a supply center for the region's farmers, ranchers,
and miners and as a point of departure for local resources.
The city's West Downtown Historic Transportation Corridor is historically
significant because of its association with the expansion of railroads,
the advent of the automobile, and the rise of Spokane as a regional
distribution center. The district's extant buildings that
housed railroad-dependent businesses, automobile-related concerns,
and worker lodgings are associated with the city's growth.
The Northern Pacific reached Spokane in 1881,
and with its completion as a transcontinental railroad in 1883, it
linked the northern reaches of the United States with the nation's
central distribution centers and allowed for increased industrial,
agricultural, and urban growth. After the turn of the century, the
automobile had an equally far-reaching impact on Spokane and other
western cities. These transportation developments signaled a
pattern of events that made a significant contribution to the
development of Spokane, the Inland Empire, and the West.
The District has a high concentration of
building types that represent: a) railroad-dependent businesses
consisting primarily of warehouses, but also of manufactories for local market; b)
lodgings related to the traveling and transient population that came to
Spokane as a direct result of its growth, most notably, Single Room
Occupancy Hotels, or SROs, designed to make maximum use of space; and c)
the sales and service enterprises associated with the rise of the
automobile.
For
its long association with the town of Cheney, Washington, whose
prosperity singularly depended on the existence of the school.
The district is also significant for its contributions to the development
of the Normal School idea and its crucial role in providing adequate
training for teachers.
Of further significance, this Historic District
constitutes an enduring memorial to important local figures who were
central to the survival and prosperity of the school. Fittingly,
some of these persons were themselves products of the normal school
system, shining examples of the effectiveness of such a training
program. These significant individuals, whose names grace four of
the Historic District buildings, are Noah David Showalter, Mary A.
Monroe, William J. Sutton, and Richard T. Hargreaves.
Finally, the structures of the Eastern
Washington University Historic District possess architectural
significance, not only as outstanding examples of the eclectic
institutional style of the period, but also as important reflections
upon the careers of two of the most prolific designers of Public Works
in the state, Julius Zittel and George M. Rasque.
Ugliness
has been synonymous with orphanages in America; this stereotype
has rarely been challenged as well as in the graceful design of
the Hutton Settlement. The indomitable spirit of two orphans,
May Arkwright Hutton and her husband, Levi Hutton, culminated in
the Hutton Settlement, a children's home with grace and beauty to
feed children's spirits, accompanied by a homelike atmosphere.
The dream was fulfilled by the Whitehouse and Price design of the
complex of buildings in Jacobethan Revival Styles, presenting the
air of a country estate. Innovative in concept, the application
was unique in techniques as well, exemplified by the development
of the first underground power cables and telephone lines in the
Spokane region.
Closely
associated with the development of electric interurban railroads
in the Inland Empire, the Nine Mile Hydroelectric Power Plant Historic
District is an early and well preserved example of a power plant
specifically developed in conjunction with a transportation network.
The plant was built in 1906-1908 in a remote canyon on the Spokane
Rivers, and includes a powerhouse which is structurally integral
with the dam. When complete, the plant provided power for
the Spokane and Inland Empire Railway system, a network that provided
freight and passenger service along 250 miles of track radiating
from Spokane south to the Palouse wheat district and east to Coeur
d'Alene, Idaho. In addition, the plant supplied surplus power
to small communities along the route. In 1925, the plant was
purchased by Washington Water Power Company, which a few years later
constructed a small workers' community at the site, composed of
ten brick bungalows in the Craftsman and English Cottage styles.
The site is among the best preserved hydroelectric plants in the
state, and one of the most significant extant properties associated
with interurban railroads in Washington.
Browne's
Addition Historic District encompasses a well-preserved residential
section south of the Spokane River gorge and immediately west of
the city center. It was platted in the 1880's and intensively
developed for well-to-do clients around the turn of the century.
Within its boundaries is a concentrated architectural aggregate
including nearly every residential style fashionable in the Pacific
Northwest between 1880 and 1930. Moreover, the district is
replete with coniferous and deciduous trees, mostly exotic stock,
planted along the streets and in the neighborhood park in response
to recommendations made to the Board of Park Commissioners by Olmsted
Brothers Landscape Architects of Brookline, Massachusetts in 1907.
Named
for the serene park that provides the neighborhood's focal point,
the
Corbin Park National Historic District is significant for its association with D.C.
Corbin and other men important in the early development of Spokane.
It is significant also as an area of well-preserved typical early
twentieth century homes. The state of preservation of these
homes is evidence of the effectiveness of Corbin's community planning
efforts and also of subsequent utilization of good landscape architecture.
Throughout three-fourths of a century, the area has been home to
people intimately involved in the professions and commerce in Spokane.
The
Desmet Avenue Warehouse Historic District is located slightly north
of the Spokane River and the commercial downtown of Spokane.
The district is composed of six commercial buildings with a long
tenure of warehousing and manufacturing associations. Choice
of this locale for such buildings was based on the availability
of land and proximity of nearby railroad transport. Construction
of a majority of these structures occurred between 1904 and 1915,
and roughly coincided with the most productive period of building
activity in Spokane. While singly configured as one or multi-storied
buildings, this ensemble of warehouses represents one of the larger
and most cohesive groupings of such structures remaining on the
north side of the Spokane River.
Felts
Field Historic District is significantly associated with the growth
of aviation in the Inland Northwest, serving as the region's first
and, for two decades, principal commercial and military airport.
The contributing structures, including historic civilian and military
hangars, passenger terminal, National Guard Headquarters, and a commemorative
clock tower, closely reflect the development of aviation in Spokane
from the mid-1920s to 1941. Although the airlines and National
Guard unit relocated by the late 1940s, the buildings remain well-preserved and still reflect the Moderne idiom and functional characteristics
of the historic period.
Fort
George Wright is a significant reminder of Spokane's long military
history. Designed as a replacement for Fort Spokane located
about
50 miles to the northwest, the military reservation was in use from 1897
to 1958, creating new social, economic and community growth patterns
for the city. Planned as a regimental post, the failure to
fulfill this purpose had a well-defined effect on the northwest
military effort in World War II. It is architecturally one
of the best-preserved forts in the Inland Empire, due to a hiatus of post-war development. Its tree-lined lanes
and red brick buildings belie its military past.
The
Four Corners District is the birthplace of the present City of Spokane.
James Glover, the founder of Spokane, developed the intersection
and named and layed out the streets.
The
Hillyard Historic Business District has been the social and commercial
hub of Hillyard, Washington for over 100 years. Hillyard developed
as a “railroad town” for the hundreds of workers and their families
who were employed at the Great Northern Railroad’s western regional
terminal facility--the internationally acclaimed railyard that at
one time manufactured the heaviest and most powerful steam locomotives
in the world. The huge rail yard was constructed in 1892, the same
year Hillyard was planned and platted, and was located adjacent
to the Hillyard Historic Business District. Stimulated by the enormous
success of the rail center, the town of Hillyard thrived. The Hillyard
Historic Business District was the market place and heart of
the community and provided the town’s necessary staples, sundries,
and services such as food, clothing, shelter, business enterprise,
and places for socializing.
The
Marycliff-Cliff Park District of Spokane has been the residential
area for many prominent and influential people throughout Spokane's
history. From its earliest development in the late 1880's
to the present day, the area's residents have included the leading
citizens of Spokane: bankers, senators, businessmen, mining and
lumber entrepreneurs, as well as prominent doctors, lawyers, and
architects. As is often the case where the wealthy live, the
area rapidly became a showplace of architectural styles - a number
of the homes having been designed by Spokane's leading architects.
Developed
in the late 19th century through the combined efforts of Spokane
speculators and Jesuit missionaries, the Mission Avenue Historic
District is the most intact remnant of the city's first residential
suburbs, and includes a significant collection of late 19th and
early 20th century houses located on one of the city's oldest landscaped
boulevards. Seven blocks in length, the district is unified
by the canopy of trees that divides the broad boulevard. Facing
the street on either side are a variety of Queen Anne, Four Square,
Craftsman, and Bungalow style houses that reflect the substantial
architecture of the period and the original suburban character of
the area. While other parts of the boulevard have suffered
from new construction, the district still reflects a period when
the district was an impressive drive that formed the centerpiece
of one of the city's finest residential neighborhoods.
Upon
inspection, the Ninth Avenue Historic District quickly establishes
itself as an area possessing unusual qualities which distinguish
it from its contemporaries and later counterparts. Certainly
its association with A.M. Cannon are significant. In addition,
within this district's boundaries there are many impressive residences
built for
the community's social and financial elite. Their designs reflect the most popular
architectural styles of the day, ranging from the stately Queen
Anne to the modest bungalow. Yet, in addition to the majestic
homes of Spokane's more prominent citizens, the Ninth Avenue Historic
District was also home to an emerging middle class. Teachers, merchants,
and contractors purchased homes in the area, creating a neighborhood
diverse not only in its architectural composition, but in its economic
and social representation as well.
The
Peaceful Valley Historic District is significant as a rare and intact
example of a working-class neighborhood dating from the turn of
the century. Many neighborhoods like Peaceful Valley once
existed throughout the state; however, very few have survived without
substantial alterations. While the historic value of such
neighborhoods is not frequently recognized, this type of district
presents a far more accurate picture of the lives of "ordinary"
Americans than the courthouses or homes of the well-to-do that are
more commonly preserved. Peaceful Valley was a distinct enclave
within the city of Spokane, both physically and socially.
This division has been maintained and Peaceful Valley remains one
of the most historically intact neighborhoods in Spokane.
Riverside
Avenue, between Monroe and Cedar, is undoubtedly Spokane's most
beautiful avenue, flanked on both sides with attractive buildings.
Since 1901, the small district has increasingly developed a striking
individual character in architecture, usage and atmosphere.
With the erection of Our Lady of Lourdes Cathedral in 1902, the trend towards
stately dignity continued until 1931 with the completion of the
Civic Building. The character of the district has been firmly
established through the developmental role of each structure in
the district. Their individual contributions were of such
high quality that the texture of the whole is more than the sum
of the individual structures. The district has been unified
during the past 75 years by the pomp and circumstance of long usage
and general intent.
The
nationally renowned Olmsted Brothers landscape architects of
Brookline, Massachusetts designed the layout of this distinctive
neighborhood, with its steep slopes, basalt rock outcroppings, and
curvilinear streets connecting a series of pleasing green spaces.
Spokane
grew to become a supply center for the region's farmers, ranchers,
and miners and as a point of departure for local resources.
The city's West Downtown Historic Transportation Corridor is historically
significant because of its association with the expansion of railroads,
the advent of the automobile, and the rise of Spokane as a regional
distribution center. The district's extant buildings that
housed railroad-dependent businesses, automobile-related concerns,
and worker lodgings are associated with the city's growth.
Closely
associated with the development of electric interurban railroads
in the Inland Empire, the Nine Mile Hydroelectric Power Plant Historic
District is an early and well preserved example of a power plant
specifically developed in conjunction with a transportation network.
The plant was built in 1906-1908 in a remote canyon on the Spokane
Rivers, and includes a powerhouse which is structurally integral
with the dam. When complete, the plant provided power for
the Spokane and Inland Empire Railway system, a network that provided
freight and passenger service along 250 miles of track radiating
from Spokane south to the Palouse wheat district and east to Coeur
d'Alene, Idaho. In addition, the plant supplied surplus power
to small communities along the route. In 1925, the plant was
purchased by Washington Water Power Company, which a few years later
constructed a small workers' community at the site, composed of
ten brick bungalows in the Craftsman and English Cottage styles.
The site is among the best preserved hydroelectric plants in the
state, and one of the most significant extant properties associated
with interurban railroads in Washington.
