My Spokane - Seen Through the Eyes of Belinda Elton

I was born in Spokane in 1967; 84 years after historic Browne’s Addition had been established by John J Browne.  The history and splendor of Browne’s Addition is one reason I love Spokane.  This is where so many beautiful homes were built for Spokane’s well-to-do just before, and immediately following, the turn of the 20th Century.  A short walk on any of the streets in Browne’s Addition will take you back in time.  The original street paving bricks peek up from the gutters and through segments of streets long ago covered with asphalt. 

The most famous home in Browne’s Addition is The Patsy Clark Mansion.  This home was built in 1897 for Patsy Clark (Spokane mining millionaire) and his family.  It is adorned with sandstone from Italy and stained glass windows designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany, son of Tiffany & Company founder. 

Directly across the street from Patsy Clark Mansion is Fotheringham House.  This residence was built in 1891 by designer David B. Fotheringham.  Fotheringham went on to become Spokane’s first mayor at the age of 35.  This home with its white picket fence and beautifully adorned English style gardens is now the scene of many wedding receptions.

Located next to the Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture is The Campbell House.  It was constructed in 1898 for Amasa B. Campbell and his family.  Campbell made his fortune in mining exploration out of Coeur d’Alene Idaho.   This home was given to Eastern Washington State Historical Society and Cheney Cowles Museum in the 1920’s by Helen Campbell, wife of Amasa Campbell, and is open for public tours.

The Wakefield House, built in 1889 for W.J.C. Wakefield, is considered a Mission Style home.  This home was inspired by the early Spanish Missions of California.  Wakefield was a prominent Spokane attorney who hired Kirtland Cutter, one of Spokane’s most famous architects, to design this home for him.  Cutter's work, which includes, The Davenport Hotel, Patsy Clark's Mansion, and The Spokane Club, is listed in several State and National Registers of Historic Places throughout the United States.

The Edgington House is an example of American stylized Queen Anne architecture which became vogue in the 1880's.  This home, erected in 1889, was built for mining operator and investor Thomas J. Edgington.  The wraparound porch, stained glass windows, overhanging eves and polygonal tower are indicative of this Americanized style.

Browne’s Addition, named one of the nation’s top ten neighborhoods in 2009, is populated with inhabitants from all walks of life.  You can’t help but feel the pride in this community as you stroll along its tree-lined sidewalks, making your way to the park, coffee shop or one of the quaint restaurants it has to offer. 

 

                                   

After 120 years these buildings still stand, as if frozen in time.  When you visit them you feel the spirit of a time long gone, an era filled with grandeur and etiquette. The memories are hidden in the oak walls and marble fire places of these majestic homes.   When you stroll the sidewalks of this historic neighborhood you may even catch a glimpse of J.J. Browne’s wife and daughter walking hand in hand,  admiring the legacy of a neighborhood that her husband could only dream would one day be such a momentous part of Spokane’s history.