Knott’s landing
It was a home renovation done on a grand scale.
A very grand scale.
In 1978, when Sherry Knott, with her late husband Alan Kimball, purchased the 1907 Frequency Changing Station building, which sits on a basalt outcropping nestled against Liberty Park, they started a big project.
Today, the 11,000-square-foot building, which once housed the enormous batteries that changed direct current into alternating current for rail service outside Spokane, is a home in every sense of the word.
From the moment you enter the wide front doors, you are surrounded by the evidence of 28 years of hard work. The raw space was transformed with ingenuity.
The impressive front hall soars to a height of 55 feet. To the left are the entrances to four townhouses, carved out of the cavernous space. To the right is a secure garage that can park as many as 20 cars.
The hall features wide double doors and stained glass panels that once graced the Chronicle building downtown. What the Knotts describe as a “Romeo and Juliet” balcony overlooks the space.
Over the doors that lead to the living space which Knott shares with Frank, her husband of 11 years, is a large, new, stained glass panel. The design replicates the sunburst pattern of the old Chronicle Building windows.
Knott, a stockbroker for Merrill Lynch, has a background in fine arts and the window is her latest work.
“I made it myself,” she said. “When I found out how much a new window would cost, I decided to take a class and make my own piece.”
Knott took a class through the Spokane Park and Recreation Department.
“Naturally, that’s the first place I looked,” Knott said. “Frank is the president of the Park Board so I wanted to support the program.”
The interior of the building is a testament to Knott’s determination and creativity, as well as the dedication and energy of her late husband.
Recycled wood from demolished buildings, including paneling and the carved choir loft from the old St. Joseph’s orphanage, and an oak staircase from the Hyde Building, warm the rooms.
Massive pieces of furniture like the pharmacist’s cupboard from a Springdale, Wash., apothecary and the enormous chopping block from a Springdale butcher shop furnish the rooms
“The mayor of Springdale told me I could have the block but he forgot to tell me it weighed 1,800 pounds,” Knott said. “We had to drive it through the front doors on a big truck and then use hydraulic jacks, ropes and pulleys to get it into place.”
After the death of her first husband and her subsequent marriage to Frank, Sherry Knott tackled the east side of the building, the only portion which hadn’t been finished.
They added a guest room, library and office for Frank. The library ceiling replicates an Italian paneled ceiling.
To capture that effect, Knott hand painted 17 solid panel doors. After seeing Sherry off, Frank and an assistant installed the doors.
“Just think about that for a minute,” he said. “Those doors are solid and we had to fit each one against the old brick walls over our heads. It was a job.”
The oversized home has been the scene of many elegant dinners and fundraisers over the years. Knott is an accomplished cook and loves to entertain.
And, befitting the grand scale of the space, she does things in a big way.
“My mother loved to entertain,” Knott said. “And she always said it made sense to have several parties after you’d gotten everything ready for one.”
Next week, Knott will carry on her mother’s tradition and open the house for three separate events Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
Tuesday’s event will be a fundraiser for The Spokane Coeur d’Alene Opera. Knott expects to fill the house with music and music lovers.
“The singers will be on the balcony looking down on the hall as they perform,” she said. “It’s going to be a special night.”