The Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture’s recently closed exhibition, “Fire: Rebirth and Resilience,” examined the devastating effects of fires throughout Washington state’s history. The exhibit highlighted major events such as the Malden and Pine City fires, the Gray Fire near Medical Lake, and, notably, the Great Spokane Fire of 1889, which effectively destroyed the city’s downtown.
Many photos and burnt artifacts on display illustrated the devastation these fires caused. However, alongside these reminders of loss were powerful signs of life, rebuilding, and—true to the exhibit’s name—resilience.
A lasting emblem of that resilience is the Davenport Hotel.
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### The Rise of the Davenport Hotel
Louis Davenport arrived in Spokane in the spring of 1889, initially planning to work in his uncle’s restaurant. After the Great Fire, he opened a small restaurant of his own. As his establishment grew in popularity, Davenport expanded into a building on the corner of Post Street and Sprague Avenue.
In 1904, he purchased an adjoining building and hired architect Kirtland Cutter to connect the two spaces. Ten years later, a group of local business owners sought to create a grand venue to attract visitors and host events. They turned to Davenport, inspired by his restaurant’s success, and again enlisted Cutter as the architect.
The opulent Davenport Hotel officially opened its doors in 1914.
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### From Elegance to Renovation
The hotel enjoyed 70 years of elegance and numerous owners before closing in 1985. In 2000, Walt and Karen Worthy purchased and restored the hotel, reviving its hand-painted frescoes, ornate woodwork, European-inspired marble, and gold leaf embellishments around the lobby hearth.
Since then, the Davenport Hotel has continued to impress and welcome guests—locals and visitors alike.
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### Honoring a Spokane Legacy
The name Davenport has been practically synonymous with Spokane for more than a century. This rich history is explored in “The Davenport Legacy,” an exhibition that opened recently and will run through spring 2026 at the Museum of Arts and Culture (MAC).
Curator of History Ellen Postlewait notes that the museum hosted a small exhibit about the Davenport around the time the Worthys completed the hotel’s renovation. That earlier exhibit featured photos of countless events held at the hotel, many taken by local photographer Charles Libby.
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### Spokane’s “Living Room”
Postlewait shared a memorable quote from the Worthys, describing the Davenport as Spokane’s “living room, where the fire was always lit” — a reference to the hotel’s iconic fireplace. She emphasized that the hotel was designed to be accessible and welcoming to anyone, regardless of background.
“Anyone was welcome from any walk of life to experience this transformative, luxurious space,” Postlewait explained.
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### A New Exhibit and Companion Catalog
Twenty years after the renovation, the museum found it was the perfect time to spotlight the Davenport once again—this time including recent hotel projects and select pieces from the renovations, drawn from the museum’s collection.
Alongside the exhibition, the museum is releasing a companion catalog titled *Elegance and Ambition: Louis Davenport, Kirtland Cutter and Spokane at the Turn of the 20th Century*, authored by architectural historian Lawrence Kreisman. The publication explores the collaborative work of Cutter and Davenport, highlighting their influence on Spokane’s architectural landscape.
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### Exploring the Galleries
The exhibit is organized into galleries, each focusing on different aspects of the Davenport legacy.
– **Elegance and Ambition:** This gallery delves into Davenport’s home life—he and his family once lived in an apartment above the restaurant—and his professional relationship with architect Kirtland Cutter. It features decorative art pieces donated by Davenport’s son, Louis Jr., in the 1980s.
– **Hotel History:** Another gallery showcases the museum’s extensive collection of hotel-related photos and artifacts, many contributed by community members over the years. Among the highlights is a “fabulously heavy” barber shop chair from the original hotel, on loan from the Davenport, alongside a menu from Davenport’s first restaurant.
Photos in this section vividly depict the variety of events hosted at the hotel, as well as spaces like the Italian Gardens restaurant and various businesses that once operated within the Davenport.
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### A City Within a Block
“When they built the Davenport, it was meant to be almost a city in and of itself,” Postlewait explained. “On that block, they had room for outside businesses to come in. They had their own Davenport businesses. You had all of the guest rooms, and then there were conference spaces and ballrooms.”
She described the hotel as a space where both visitors and Spokane residents could stay downtown and find everything they needed within one block—without leaving the area unless they truly wanted to.
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### The Crown Jewel of Spokane
Today, the Davenport collection includes several hotel locations across downtown Spokane, but the original Davenport Hotel remains the crown jewel.
Though many locals believe they know the hotel well, Postlewait encourages everyone to take a fresh look. She suggests grabbing a coffee and wandering the hotel’s halls to appreciate the intricate details and the care invested in a building that started as a modest restaurant and blossomed into a regal gathering place for all.
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### Reflecting on the Davenport
“I can’t deny I’ve taken the Davenport a little for granted,” Postlewait admitted. “‘It’s a cool thing that’s always there.’ It was fun to really look back and dig in a little bit more on the history and all those cool tales about it that make it so special.”
The Davenport remains a powerful symbol of Spokane’s resilience, elegance, and ambition—rising from the ashes of the Great Fire to become a cherished landmark for generations to come.
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2025/oct/18/northwest-museum-of-arts-and-culture-exhibit-looks/