1899 House

Enjoy our wonderful common areas…

For use by all of our guests

After entering and registering on the main floor, guests may enjoy use of the living and dining rooms, After hours, guests have a private entry code for their own room and the auto-lighted west guest entry door (on Oak Street). Breakfast gift certificates now allow guests to have their meal or coffee at any time, increasing flexibility, and allowing them to choose foods that accommodate dietary needs and allergies, as well as personal taste.  These gift cards also help our colleagues in local small, nearby businesses get back on their feet after long shut-downs during Covid.

Take our convenient
360-degree virtual tour

Check out where you’ll be staying

See all of the wonderful spaces you’ll have available to you at 1899 House Bed & Breakfast. Using our convenient virtual tour, you can decide which suite you’d prefer to stay in.

View the Rigsby Suite

With our virtual tour, you can see both the bedroom and the attached bathroom of the Rigby Suite, which is the larger of our two suites; it can sleep three. Ask about the “third man” fee.

See the cozy Dora Suite

Feel at home in the cozy Dora Suite! See this suite from every angle, including a peek at the Jacuzzi tub; it sleeps two in its queen sized alcove bed.

Take a look at the common areas

You can also take a look at the common areas of our bed and breakfast, including the living room and formal dining room. Please note that the Hospitality Suite is now closed and being renovated.
Take our virtual tour now!

Wines and liquors may be consumed in your room or in the common areas, or on the porches or side patio areas. Some glassware is available in your suite. If you have any multi-person gathering or party that includes serving spirits, however, an inexpensive event permit may be required, and advance notice is necessary. You can arrange glassware or other needs with the Innkeeper, with notice. The main living/dining area and front porch or side patio may be used for small groups,again, with advance notice.

While Spokane has many fine dining establishments ranging from fast food chains to gourmet steakhouses, there is also take-out, and a wide variety of delivery services, such as Uber Eats, that may be used, especially if you book in inclement weather, or do not feel like eating out.  Please let the Innkeeper know so that she can watch for your delivery person if you are not going to be downstairs to do so.

When booking your stay, please let the Innkeeper know about any allergies you might have (there is a cat on premises, though not in your room).

The Edward Louis and Dora Powell House

This lovely restrained Queen Anne Victorian home celebrates its 125th year in 2024, with a complete restoration of its original exterior colors!

Early 1900’s

View in 1901, with city-placed forms for the new sidewalks! This is the main entry face, or south view.

1950’s to 2012

With its first sale out of the family, following WW2 and Korea, the home was converted to six small apartments, two on the main floor, and four on the second. The third floor was roughed-in only, as a one-bedroom apartment.

Starting in 2009, the house was stripped of all layers, down to the originals, and then to its original siding. Historic colors were assessed and approved by the historic registry, and restoration began with the west (and most-weathered) face in 2012, to the left in the second photograph. The entire house was primered though, prior to beginning formal paint colors, but all had to be redone when the contractor did not return in spring, as he’d promised. In the interim, the stairs, posts and rails were restored, and the west guest entry was redesigned by architect Esteban Vallejo, and completely rebuilt, before final painting by another local contractor–builders from A Painter’s Touch, and master ceramicist Rebecca Trainor. Grants from the Spokane Preservation Advocates helped pay for a lot of this painstaking work.

2013 South Face ready to prime

The house was stripped to its original siding. The original Historic color layers were saved, assessed, and approved by the historic registry, and restoration began with the west (and most-weathered) face, shown as the left face in this photograph. The entire house was at least protectively primered as winter approached, in 2012, prior to beginning formal paint colors.

This would all have gone more smoothly, but the original contractor did not return in spring, as he’d promised. The main entry stairs, posts, and rails were restored before final painting by another local contractor–builders from A Painter’s Touch, who also built the redesigned west guest entry by then-local architect Esteban Vallejo. Front and west porch trim were painted by local master ceramicist, Rebecca Trainor.

WEST FACE AND GUEST ENTRY 2013

Scraping, caulking and re-priming of the most-weathered west face began in 2012, but took more than a year to complete.  It was an extremely tedious, but needful lot of work.  As anyone who has loved and devotedly worked on one of these Grand Dames will know, there is a great deal of prep work to be done carefully, prior to actually painting… The restoration of the entire exterior has taken YEARS in our case, as we worked with contractors that sometimes walked away or did not show as promised, and against weather that always seemed to get pretty cold once we began….or extremely hot…depending–and of course, cost overruns.  The west face was also home to an entry and  stairway that was never part of the original home; The new owners added it for access to the second-floor apartments created in the 1950’s.  It was extremely industrial inside, and outside it was very poorly constructed.  It once had stairs that dropped users off in the driveway, and the last step was a doozy, especially in winter.  By 2010, there were, in fact, NO steps remaining!  As stated,then-local friend and architect, Esteban Vallejo, designed a period-appropriate entryway that was built and painted by contractors from  A Painter’s Touch, and master ceramicist, Rebecca Trainor.  We are extremely grateful as well, to the Spokane Preservation Advocates, for grants that helped fund this and several of other projects, over the last dozen years.

EAST AND NORTH FACE REPAIR AND RESTORATION

The East Face of the house was severely damaged from the 1990’s, when former owners installed a hot tub and deck, placed at the end of the yard abutting the side of the house. Rain water from interlacing roof sections overhead ruined the siding, underlayment, insulation, and almost the floor joists. In 2016 we began the removal of the old deck and stair seating, as well as the hot tub, and repairs to the siding on the entire NE end and N side was begun by Engineer/Contractor and local mason,Peter Cooper.

Painting began in fall, by young Alex Pratt, probably the most conscientious and consistently good painter we’ve had. He completed work using ladders and scaffolding in about six weeks.

During Covid-19’s shutdown, Louie and contractor Randy Warneck decided to undertake an entire re-do of the patio’s pavers, gate and its wall, fence and lighting. A new fence and lovely gate were built by contractor Luisito Santana (also a fellow Cuban!), and Sandpoint builder couple, Walter and Linda Anderson built the entryway pergola and did all the lattice work for that and the entire front porch’s skirt. Mr. Santana highlighted the “Flores” flavor of the new gate with a perfect cast iron rose insert.

NORTH AND FINAL FACE: At this writing, we have completed painting the north face. During the Covid shutdown, new copper-enameled gutters and downspouts were completed, along with another grant-supported restoration of the house’s main chimney. The chimney was a Facade Grant awarded by the City of Spokane’s Office of Historic Preservation.

A rare winter view from the 1930’s shows the now-removed north balcony/sleeping porch, and shows that there was originally NO west entry at all. The small and larger (with smokestack) structures behind the still-existing garages/carriage house are long gone. We assume the balcony/porch was removed in the conversion to apartments, between the 1950’s and 1970’s. Now, the small window has been removed and the area re-sided; inside, where there was once a small back hallway linking the Dora Suite with what was once a Hospitality Suite (soon to be refinished as a 3d suite, the Gerda), there are now two substantial bedroom closets.

FUTURE EXTERIOR PROJECTS!

It has taken more than a decade of hard work, and half a dozen different contractors, plus local artisans and professionals to complete this Grand Dame’s exterior restoration, in its original Victorian colors, during construction- and painting-compatible northwest weather.

As of this writing, we have yet to complete work on the garages (again not original to the home), the back porch railing and stairs, as well as the storage area underneath, that contractor Cooper paved for us when he removed the porch’s surface and original railings and gate.  Eventually, the stairs will be redone and a handrail added, facing west along the side of the house,  Under the porch will be secure doors so that storage may be safely used, including housing a generator that will be wired into the electric room adjoining the porch’s west wall, in the basement.

With increasing concern for water use nationwide, we are exploring adapting some of the front lawn to semi-hardscape, and planting more curb trees and edibles. As you can see, even after more than a decade of applied attention, there are still projects!  And that’s just the Exterior!

SO! HOW ABOUT THOSE INSIDE PROJECTS?!

Work recommenced on the interior with a vengeance in 2011-12, with the restoration of second floor flooring and two of four individual rooms/suites.  During conversion to apartments, someone had laid down black tar and rubber-backed indoor-outdoor carpeting in the hallway and on the main stairway that had to be scraped off, and heavily sanded before any fine work could be done.  In each room, which had once held little metal kitchens on the oak floors, with no protection at all, so much mold and discoloration had to be carefully removed, sanded and varnished.

There was, needless to say, a LOT of multi-grade machine- and hand-sanding, varnishing, and repeating, repeating!  This was not contracted–Gillian and Louie did all of it!  The front stairs to the second level still have some of the black stain from their earlier covering, but are much-improved, wide and still in excellent condition.  The main hallway went from tar to beautiful again, andweeks of hard work in summer heat paid off!

The west guest entry interior stairs went from beat-up industrial to more formal…and we replaced all guest door locks with combination locks, so no one has to carry keys or cards to enter or exit—or potentially lose. Combinations are regularly changed between guests, and each guest’s room combination is matched to the west guest entry’s combinations.

The Dora Suite Renovation

The Dora Suite is named for the wife of the house’s founder, Dora Bruce Powell. Work on the Dora Suite commenced in 2010, but took nearly a year, as we also were working outside, and on the Rigsby Suite across the hall. We had not learned to pace ourselves physically or financially at that point–steep learning curves, especially with Louie working full time! The Dora had been a single apartment with a kitchenette and bath, so the floors were very needy. It’s done in lovely shades of pale lavender and gray, with a dragon-themed oriental rug, and unlike the rest of the rooms, its woodwork is painted white. It holds comfortable wing-back chairs and a bookcase of reading materials, if guests wish to hold an actual hard copy of a printed book. Dora’s bathroom has a relaxing Jacuzzi tub and hand-shower.

While we’d initially planned to put a Murphy bed in Dora, and potentially be able to rent it for meetings as well as overnights, after living in it ourselves for a bit, (as we have all of the suites), it really did not lend itself to that, so we decorated it as a queen suite. It’s on the quieter northeast corner of the house, cooler in summer, and cozier in winter. Housewide wi-fi allows guests to download tv if they wish, on their own laptops or phones, or use the wall-mounted television provided. It is our most popular room for shorter stays, mother-daughter escapes and romantic getaways, but the number of men wishing to stay there has surprised us. We had no idea how many guys had restless leg syndrome, and love a tub before sleeping.

The Rigsby Suite

The Rigsby Suite is named for Jack Rigsby, who married into the Powell family through Edward and Dora’s only daughter, Gerda. Both Gerda and her mother lived out their days in the family home, and Gerda has occasionally been heard looking for Dora in this suite. Rigsby was in substantially better condition than Dora had been, but is larger, so took nearly as long to refinish and furnish as Dora did. It is done in shades of cool sage green with black and gold highlights. A rendition we like to think of as young Jack, stealing a smoke, adorns one wall, while an original oil of 1900’s Coeur d’Alene Park, by local artist Patty Simpson Ward is at the entry. The rest of the walls have exotic bird prints, from Native American to Audubon to oriental. It is on the south side of the house, so gets the morning sun, and fall breezes; for guest-convenience, there are black-out drapes in the Rigsby. It has a large stand-up shower, heated towel racks, a wet bar and wine cooler, as well as networking tv, and is more appropriate for longer stays. It also can sleep a “third man” (or child) on a hideaway twin bed in its love seat. As in Dora, housewide wi-fi allows guests to download whatever they wish, on their own laptops, tablets, or phones, or use the tv provided.

Here again, all of our hard work has paid off in the spacious Rigsby!

The Rigsby Suite

The Rigsby Suite is named for Jack Rigsby, who married into the Powell family through Edward and Dora’s only daughter, Gerda. Both Gerda and her mother lived out their days in the family home, and Gerda has occasionally been heard looking for Dora in this suite. Rigsby was in substantially better condition than Dora had been, but is larger, so took nearly as long to refinish and furnish as Dora did. It is done in shades of cool sage green with black and gold highlights. A rendition we like to think of as young Jack, stealing a smoke, adorns one wall, while an original oil of 1900’s Coeur d’Alene Park, by local artist Patty Simpson Ward is at the entry. The rest of the walls have exotic bird prints, from Native American to Audubon to oriental. It is on the south side of the house, so gets the morning sun, and fall breezes; for guest-convenience, there are black-out drapes in the Rigsby. It has a large stand-up shower, heated towel racks, a wet bar and wine cooler, as well as networking tv, and is more appropriate for longer stays. It also can sleep a “third man” (or child) on a hideaway twin bed in its love seat. As in Dora, housewide wi-fi allows guests to download whatever they wish, on their own laptops, tablets, or phones, or use the tv provided.

Here again, all of our hard work has paid off in the spacious Rigsby!

The Work continued through Covid shut down on the first floor’s west parlor suite—its bathroom had been finished in winter of 2018-19, and its bedroom, where your innkeepers live, was completed in 2021. The original wood floors that need resurfacing and good varnish as we’ve done for the second floor. Several old open vent spaces were also re-filled with original flooring. We hope to re-do the main living room’s coffered ceiling,and then refinish the floor as the west parlor’s was done.

The kitchen and its bath/laundry room are still on the list, along with redoing the basement stairs and pantry. The downstairs water system has been isolated from the second floor though, with a new, on-demand gas hot water heater. The laundry also now has a gas dryer, and the kitchen a gas stove. Of course, just this year, it was announced that gas is no longer going to be used in new construction in this state! AND, the main floor’s fireplace was completely rebuilt, with a new chimney liner, new gas insert, and more period-appropriate tile and oak surround, completed in December of 2021.

On the second floor, the largest, suite—called the Edward– will be completed in the next year or so, along with its bathroom, and there will be one more suite available! It, like the Rigsby Suite, will probably hold a daybed in addition to our only king, and, possibly a twin trundle—so a maximum occupancy of four. It is now wired, plumbed and insulated, but there is much work left to do.

As for what was once our Hospitality Suite, once connected to Dora by a small, unfinished back hallway, and holding a tiny complete kitchen that could be shared by guests if not used as an extension of Dora (It once held trundle beds)… Well, it’s gone for now. During Covid shutdown,we decided to use the talents of our downstairs contractor for a bit longer, and restore it completely to become the Gerda Suite, named after Powell’s only daughter, who married Jack Rigsby. They occupied the home for many years. That suite is now off-line, and is, and as of this writing is not yet completed. Gerda has a stand-up shower and is done in soft shades of blue-gray. Its oak floors are in excellent condition, and the passageway that once connected Gerda to Dora, is now two substantial closets. We have found a new kitchenette feature as well, so limited cooking will be allowed, and when not occupied, the kitchenette will be available to other guests. In the meantime, individual coffee/tea service is available in both Dora and Rigsby. We fervently hope and plan to have Gerda available the first of the year.

Sometimes guests like it here so much that they want to come back. A few have come back to purchase homes and live here full time. Property values county-wide are lower than most big cities, so you can get a lot of home for your money. Spokane has 82 public K-12 schools in several districts, most rated 8-9 on the Great Schools.org scale. There are also several community colleges and three four-year colleges (all with masters programs as well) in Spokane; Gonzaga, Whitworth and Eastern Washington University, plus a multi-college campus near Gonzaga, housing programs from Washington State University and University of Washington nursing and medical departments. Fairchild also hosts Embry-riddle Aeronautical U, Park U and Webster external campuses; and Moody Bible Institute and the Spokane Tribal College have campuses. Spokane is also home to the Glen Dow Academy of Hair Design. So, if it’s education you’re after, whether as a resident or sabbatical learner, Spokane has a lot to offer you and your family.

Most of our guests, however, will be interested in less than a week’s stay. For you, our best advice is to log on to Visit Spokane.org for the latest calendar and listings of events. Fox Theatre and the INB Performing Arts calendars will also list Broadway musicals, concerts, the symphony, and much more…and there are several casinos within a 40-minute drive of the city that host rock concerts and shows as well. New activities are always being added!

Take a look at our Big Little City, Spokane, “Near Nature, Near Perfect!” and let us know how the 1899 House B&B can assist your weekend or week-long get-away!

Spokane hosts a 10K each spring, Bloomsday… and a 3-on-3 “HoopFest” event each summer. Each of these usually has over 40,000 participants from all over the Pacific Northwest and Canada, as well as several foreign countries. If you intend to visit Spokane during early May or late June, make reservations in advance! This is also true of coming here during college or high school graduation times from mid-May through mid-June each year.

There are literally dozens of well-maintained parks, reserved wild spaces and national forests in and within an hour’s drive of Spokane. Above is a view of Duncan Gardens, part of Manito Park on the South Hill of Spokane. Manito also contains a conservatory of tropical and desert plants, a lovely Japanese garden with koi ponds and meditation areas and statuary, and a rose garden.
The interactive Spokane County Parks, Open Space & Trails map that follows is available on line and regularly updated. If you are a hiker, camper, fisherperson, rafter, kayaker, canoeist, glamper, or just want a great walk in the fresh air, this map is for you! It can be downloaded at your convenience from the Spokane Parks and Recreation website.

This is a view from south to north, from the upper level of Huntington Park, downtown beside City Hall, looking north across the river to a relatively new development called Kendall Yards. Check out that area’s street musicians, night market, wine-tasting rooms, galleries and restaurants—Umi Sushi there is one of our favorites. Expect some parking challenges, and make reservations—it’s popular!

This is the view looking up from the first set of stairs at the entry of Huntington Park. Huntington opened three years ago or so, and one may walk on stairs and paved walks, or take trails along the Spokane River’s south side, studying many plaques that contain information about the history of water power in the city, and the many ways it has been harnessed to support a variety of industries in and around Spokane.

If walking Huntington is not your cup of tea, you can grab a cable car at Riverfront Park, and view its power!

Closer to the B&B, a two-block, historic walk will take you to Cannon Circle’s many restaurants, among them Browne’s Bistro and the Itlalia Trattoria. Our neighborhood pub, The Elk, is also there. Good eating without the city’s parking or crowds that attend our many events, if you arrive on one of those weekends. During the summer, free concerts happen every Thursday night, in nearby Coeur d’Alene Park (named for the tribe, not the nearby Idaho city!)

Spokane’s major attraction, for many, both visitors and locals, is its river, that winds and babbles, and sometimes furiously rips through its entirety, running roughly east to west, from Lake Coeur d’Alene in Idaho, through seven dams, to join the Columbia River, near Davenport, Washington. It provides endless moments of amazement, thrills, water sports, support for fish and wildlife, and pure joy.

Riverfront Park holds a calmed portion of the river, as well as a tented market with light show (opened September 2019), some carnival rides, the Ice/roller Ribbon, concessions, a water park, the Louff Carousel (completely restored, rehoused, and reopened in 2019), and many lovely trails. In summer, outdoor movies are often shown, and for two years in a row, it was the only northwest venue to host the Chinese Lantern Festival. Each year in late August, it hosts a week of Pig Out in the Park bands and food trucks. In spring, it is one of the features included in Spokane’s Bloomsday 10K. Year ‘round it is enjoyed by hundreds.

There are many riverside or overlooking restaurants where one can enjoy a fine glass of “something” from cocktails to award-winning Northwest wines, to locally-roasted coffees, along with gourmet food.

Winter, Spring, Summer or fall, the views in and around Spokane are spectacular!

Both of your hosts have lived and worked in the New England states, and love the colors of the fall leaves there. Washington State and Spokane may not be Connecticut or DC, but our trees put on a grand show, and Autumn is coming! So is Winter! This is especially lovely in our historic neighborhoods and parks.

A river really does run all the way through it….in fact, several rivers and larger and smaller creeks!

In 2017, Spokane’s first ice-skating ribbon opened just after Thanksgiving been a tremendous hit, both with locals and out-of-town guests. One can rent all skates and safety gear, and in summer, when ice can no longer be effectively maintained, it converts to a roller ribbon!

Christmas is spectacular in the atrium of the Historic Davenport Hotel (sister to the newer Davenport Grand), that hosts the Festival of Trees benefit for the Spokane Symphony each year, between Thanksgiving and mid-December, followed by a gingerbread structure competition.

Another popular time to visit is February, when the bald eagles return to lakes all over the area.

Ski The Northwest Rockies

Spokane and Coeur d’Alene are surrounded by four unique alpine resorts inside of 200 square miles, averaging over 300 inches of snowfall a season. Each unique hill offers a rich variety of skiing and riding, spectacular scenery and good old-fashioned, down-to-earth hospitality. Ski The Northwest Rockies is a non-profit association representing the Inland Northwest snowsports industry, this includes four ski areas along with snowsport industry retailers. Our mission is to raise awareness of Inland Northwest Skiing and Snowboarding opportunities.

Spokane County Golf Courses

Spokane County owns and operates three beautiful 18-hole championship public municipal golf courses serving residents as well as visitors to the area. They are some of the best public golf courses in the area with green fees under $40. All are within only 20 minutes of Downtown Spokane and a typical round only takes an average of 4 hours and 20 minutes to complete “While We’re Young”. We emphasize Pace of Play here at Spokane County Golf Courses.

Lakes

Spokane’s 76 regional lakes boost some the nation’s best boating, camping, fishing and resorts. Visitors can spread out lakeside in the lavish Coeur d’Alene Resort or hike to Upper Priest Lake nestled in the Selkirk Mountains. Book a house boat for a weekend on Lake Roosevelt or set up a tent under the stars at Lake Pend Oreille.

Meet our Innkeeper Partners

Louie Flores III is a first-generation Cuban-American raised in Florida. He has lived and worked in several major cities of the United States, and his work often demanded much travel. He settled in Spokane in 2002 and purchased the Edward Louis and Dora Powel House, with the hope of restoring it to a single family home. When purchased, it was still cut into five of the six apartments that had been carved into it when the Powell-Rigsby family relinquished it for the first time in 1953. Like many older Victorians in the historic district, it had experienced much hard wear, and needed much internal and external renovation and repair. While working full time as a mortgage broker, he began the restoration journey, from peaked roof to basement, with the help of contractors and the Spokane Preservation Advocates, and had the home placed on the National and Spokane Registers of Historic Places, to protect it. In late 2012, the 1899 House Bed and Breakfast opened its first suite for business, followed by the second in early 2013! A Hospitality Suite was added by the end of the year…and work recommenced on the exterior.
When not working on the B&B, or brokering mortgages, Louie has worked in the local film industry on commercials and in several other productions, and was one of the founders of the Hispanic Food Network TV series.

Louie lived all over the United States before settling in Spokane. In 2002, he purchased the Edward Louis Powell House and began restoring it as a single-family home, before opening as the 1899 House Bed & Breakfast, in late 2012. As stated, it is on the national registry of historic homes, as well as the Spokane registry. Gillian joined him in this effort in 2010, and they opened as the 1899 House B&B in 2012.

Louie is a mortgage broker licensed in several states (Modus Mortgage) and a partner in the Kelly Right International real estate firm locally. He has also worked as a part-time actor with many screen credits, mostly local productions, and he was one of the three original founders of the Hispanic Food Network TV series.

The daughter of a DoD career engineer, and formerly affiliated with the U.S. Navy as an intercultural relations trainer, Gillian has travelled extensively across the U.S. and lived and worked in both Italy and Japan for several years. She loved staying in pensiones, hotels, youth hostels and inns everywhere, and envisioned retiring one day from crisis and family counseling, and teaching psychology, to work part-time for a bed and breakfast. It was not in the plan to OWN and Operate one!

She has a bachelor’s in psychology, biology and secondary education, a first masters in public policy and ethics, and another in counseling. But she met Louie in 2010, decided to retire from classroom, cliic and crisis work, and made her 38th move to settle with him in Spokane–and the rest is history, as they say. Their ideas and vision for a restored restrained Queen Anne Victorian home, adapted to accommodate not only themselves but family, friends and paying guests, has turned into a lovely reality for them both. It’s been a decade, and they’re still on the project, and on the job! When not enjoying their careers as a couple or as individuals, they love travelling to visit Louie’s family in California and Florida, and Gillian’s dad in the south east of Washington State. They have a wide “tribe” of friends, with whom they cook, celebrate, dance, attend local events, and sometimes travel. They love having guests, and look forward to having each one feel that “Our Home is Your Castle”!