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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

The beloved Glover


The wood in the Glover Mansion's library was imported from Spain. 
 (Photos by DAN PELLE / The Spokesman-Review)
Amy Klamper Correspondent

Tables and linens were flying through the air. It was a windy spring day, and outside Spokane’s Glover Mansion, a huge catering tent wobbled back and forth before one side gave way, collapsing like a row of dominos.

“It was carnage,” Glover Mansion owner Bob Adolfson recalls of that day two years ago when he and his wife, Kim, hosted the 60th anniversary celebration of the founding of the Spokane Symphony. “But that’s catering.”

Hours later, 150 people would arrive for an elegant dinner, dancing and champagne at the opulent historic residence at 321 W. Eighth Ave., on the city’s lower South Hill. Despite the rain and wind, the affair was a huge success, and one of many memorable events the Adolfsons have hosted since starting their business, Glover Mansion Catering and Events, in 2004.

Back then, the Adolfsons were living in the Seattle area with their two kids. Adolfson, a Spokane native and hospitality industry veteran, was leaving his company after 16 years when the couple happened across the Glover Mansion notice during a weekend visit to run Bloomsday.

“It was very similar to what I was doing with my company before – finding unique venues around the country for catering,” he recalls. “It’s something I’d been thinking about for a long time.

Adolfson says he and his wife were attracted to the Glover because it was structurally sound and in need of mostly cosmetic repair. Built by Kirtland Cutter for James N. Glover in 1888, the 12,000-square-foot home boasts Spokane’s largest historical mansion interior, with nine bedrooms and six bathrooms on four levels.

“The previous owners had put a beautiful copper roof on it, which is one of the best things you could’ve done to the place,” Adolfson says. “It needed a lot of cosmetic work – carpeting, paint, wallcovers, glasswork, hardware, plumbing.”

Adolfson says the biggest single project was the installation of a complete, albeit very discreet HVAC system to replace the home’s antiquated radiators and provide air conditioning during the hot months.

“One summer without A/C was enough,” he says with a laugh. “That was never going to happen again.”

The couple is also working to restore the home’s historical integrity where possible.

“There’s very little information that we’ve been able to find on what exactly it was like in 1888,” Adolfson says. “There are very few interior pictures of the building, and the ones we’ve seen are black and white.”

Adolfson says the couple is interested in anyone who might be in possession of a fixture that is original to the mansion.

“We’d like to talk to them,” he says, adding that several auctions took place following the sale of the property by previous owners. “Some of the original, really beautiful items were sometimes taken out and sold or taken out and put in other places – light fixtures, furniture, glass, though most of the original glass is still in the house.”

The Adolfsons keep a residence on the third floor of the mansion, a 3,600-square-foot apartment that originally housed the servants’ quarters.

“It’s got multiple rooms, a very small kitchen, and a living room,” he says. “It’s a work in progress right now.”

Although the Glover has many breathtaking rooms, Adolfson says his favorite is the first-floor lounge, with its quarter-sawn oak details and liquor cabinet hidden in the wall paneling.

“Oh yeah, it’s the old brandy and cigar room for after dinner,” he says. “It’s got great chi to it.”

The mansion has had several different owners over the years, including the Unitarian Church, although it has been an event site for some time. This fall, the Adolfsons plan to host an event commemorating the mansion’s first large wedding on record.

“It was in 1908, and they had 500 guests - that was back when [the mansion] used to be on several acres of land,” he says, adding that he and Kim are searching for couples married at the mansion over the years. He is hopeful the Unitarian Church, which sold the premises in the 1980s, has records of weddings performed on site. “We had 70 weddings here last year alone, so we expect there are quite a few couples out there.”