Statement of Significance

Built in 1941, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 as a contributing property of the Marycliff-Cliff Park National Register Historic District, the Senator Clarence & Mabel Dill House is a fine rendition of the Spanish Eclectic style and is one of the largest single-family dwellings in Spokane, WA.  Resembling a block of homes in a Spanish village, the Dill House is grandiose with six stories, seven varying roof levels, and numerous wings, bays, balconies, and decks.  The house is built on a sheer cliff and commands one of the most spectacular views of Spokane and surrounding northern mountain peaks.  The October 19, 1941 edition of the Spokesman-Review featured a photograph of the home, which was named “Cliff Aerie” by the original owners, and billed it as a “distinctive, outstanding residence,” a “uniquely planned house with 14 rooms,” “unusual circular design,” and a “splendid view.”  It was built for prominent attorney and former United States Senator, Clarence Cleveland Dill, and his wife, Mabel Dickson Dill, a dietician and educator who founded the home economics department at Whitworth College in Spokane.  During his tenure in Washington, D. C., Dill spearheaded a plan and secured a promise from then-New York Governor, Franklin D. Roosevelt, for the construction of the Grand Coulee Dam in Eastern Washington.  Roosevelt kept his promise when he was elected President in 1932, and construction of the mammoth dam began.  For his extraordinary contributions that led to the creation of the superstructure and the promotion of hydro-electric power in Washington State, Dill became known as the “Father of Grand Coulee Dam.”

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