Welcome to
The 1899 House Bed and Breakfast
in Spokane, WA
Check in to our
amazing suites today!
The Rigsby Suite sleeps 3-persons with the use of the queen bed and foldout twin bed in the love seat. It also contains a wet bar with a wine cooler and a closet. The bathroom hosts a 7-foot rain shower with a jet option and a heated towel rack. The rates go up and down seasonally, and there is also a “third man” charge for use of the additional twin bed. It is always good to ask our innkeepers about the rate of the rooms when you call.
Enjoy our wonderful common areas…
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
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!
The 1899 House B&B Policies
Check-in time is any time from 3:00 p.m. (1500 hours) onward. Please coordinate with the Innkeeper as instructed at booking time, if you are going to be late. Occasionally, earlier check-ins may be accommodated by advance arrangement. Once checked in, each guest receives a personal code for their private suite, as well as to use the west Guest Entry before or after the main floor is open. Generally, the main floor is open to come and go from 8 a.m. to ten p.m. (0800 through 2200 hours).
Check-out time is normally by noon. If you have a late flight or train, please let the Innkeeper know when you make booking arrangements. Some later departures may be accommodated without charge, or luggage and belongings may be stored at the house, accessible to you, but out of your room, until your plane or train departs.
While the 1899 House is a cannabis- and smoker-friendly facility, no one is allowed, for any reason, to smoke or vape (or even burn incense or candles of any kind) at any time inside the house or their room. All smoking/vaping is only allowed on the attached porches, or in the side patio area and we are not animal-accepting. Ash trays are provided, but please do not place smoking materials on the ground or porch floors. If anyone is apprehended smoking or lighting anything, placement will be immediately terminated at the B&B, and we will not feel any obligation to find you another placement.



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).

ADA Website Compliance:
Our goal is to provide a wonderful experience in the desirable location of Spokane, WA. We have built our site with ADA compliance in mind and have utilized available tools such as Google Chrome’s ADA compatibility diagnostic tools. Please be aware that our efforts are ongoing. If you have difficulty navigating our website or booking a room at our inn, we ask you to contact us via telephone or email and our helpful staff will be happy to assist you. Please note that our property is historic and therefore, has no accessible features on the property or in the guest rooms.
1728 West 1st Ave
Spokane, WA 99201
(509) 301-1377
Owners: Louie Cranehahn, Gillian Cranehahn
We work very hard to provide an easy-to-use online experience for all guests. We believe all of our website visitors should be able to easily research online on http://1899house.com regardless of device type and whether an individual requires assistive technology. If you have any questions or would like to report any issues related to the accessibility features of our property’s website, please contact us at gillianuseag@gmail.com

History of the 1899 House
In 2024 the 1899 House Bed & Breakfast will celebrate its 125th year. It is on the national and local historic registries as the Edward Louis and Dora Powell House; our registered business name is the 1899 House Bed & Breakfast.
The house was built in a “restrained Queen Anne” style, for Spokane’s tenth mayor and his wife Dora, after he was no longer in office (he was a single-term mayor, as most are, from 1893-present). Its designer was then-well-known master architect, Loren Rand, who had designed many preeminent buildings throughout Spokane after the great fire of 1889, such as Lewis & Clark High School and the Masonic Temple. Their five children were born and raised in the home, and it remained in the Powell-Rigsby family until the 1950’s.
View in 1901, with city-placed forms for the new sidewalks! This is the main entry face, or south view.
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.


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

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.
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.
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!
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.

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

Discover many ways
to enjoy your stay in Spokane!
Spokane is a year-‘round city, bustling with sports, dining, concerts, theatre, shopping, and so much more. There are 76 lakes and dozens of rivers within an hour’s drive, sponsoring a wide variety of boating, cruising, tubing, floating, paddle-board activities, and swimming. There are seven ski resorts within two hours’ drive from downtown, and they are usually open from Thanksgiving to Easter. Seven fantastic public golf courses call Spokane home and PARKS! Spokane is home to wonderful parks, from the South Hill’s multicultural Manito Park and Japanese Gardens, to Downtown’s Spokane River history-emphasizing Huntington Park, and the newly-restored Riverfront Park with its native sculptures, Big Red Wagon, Water Park, Carousel, Ice Ribbon recreation, and Pavilion Event Center—Spokane truly is, “near nature, near perfect”!
On average, Spokane gets 171 sunny days every year, and some kind of precipitation 115 days a year—this includes rain, snow, sleet or hail and SNIRT (Spokane winters are famous for snirt, a combination of dirt and snow!). On days when it might be too hot, too cold, or too wet, there’s still much to do. There are more than a dozen live-stage theatres, and more if one includes rock concert venues and more than ten movie-plexes. If you’re hungry, check out some of the 1200 restaurants, and seek Yelp or many other on-line reviewers. Spokane has some very fine chefs, as well as fast food, and a wild variety in-between. It is a multicultural city, partly because of its colleges, and partly because of the longstanding relationship it has with Fairchild Airforce Base nearby. If one eats something that looks like Mexican food, it may actually be Puerto Rican, Cuban, Colombian, Nicaraguan, Brazilian, Argentinian or Spanish regional, depending. If one craves Asian cuisine, it might be Filipino, Chinese, Thai, Japanese or a combination! Your hosts are not originally from Spokane, and yet they have found this truly to be, a “big little city” with almost everything major metro areas like LA, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington, DC or Miami have—only without the traffic and long waits. And if you don’t want to use your car, Uber and Lyft both operate; Lime provides both scooters and bikes in summer; bus service is only a block from the B&B, and it’s a lovely neighborhood to walk or jog in.
Watch the 10 Best Places To Live In Washington State (USA) 2019.

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!


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.








But Wait! There’s more!
Ski The Northwest Rockies

Spokane County Golf Courses

Lakes

Learn more about
our owners and the innkeeper
Meet our Innkeeper Partners
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.
Meet our Innkeeper Partners
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 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.
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”!
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”!