Spotlight on Spokane - Architecture & Urbanism in the American West - Part 1 of 3, 2023

Spokane, Washington - what a gem.

Spokane was on my radar because it's on the route from Seattle to Idaho, the latter of which I'd planned to be my 47^th State. I had heard of Spokane on an Amtrak trip in '95, when I went to Montana from New York City. Thirty years later, and now based in San Francisco, I made it to the Pacific Northwest, and I brought along my daughter. My favorite port of call was Spokane. (I’ll discuss her least-favorite later. But thankfully, her Dad was there for that one.)

The Historic Davenport Hotel (1914), situated in Spokane's downtown where more than half of the buildings are designated "historic," is an architectural lesson in itself. As one approaches, a marquis with Victorian ironwork signifies that this is a sophisticated establishment. It reminded me of the Algonquin in New York, which was built twelve years prior, in 1902.

This hotel features details as ornate as any in Paris or Rome, and appears to emulate the Old World. The names of the ballrooms identify their style: Marie Antoinette... Doges Hall... but when I poked into these rooms, they were furnished with unsightly banquet tables and chairs in the style of nursing home... a bland choice compared to the historic photos.

The Davenport's lobby is a sight to behold, with gilded details for days. The columns, arches, flooring and frescoes are a time capsule of an elegant era.  Not appropriate to the American West, but I'll consider it an homage to the European travels that real estaters in the early 1900’s must have done. It's a neo-European piece of American antiquity at a time of likely searching for authentic style.