Just like the good old days

Historic preservationists call it an “unveiling.”

On Saturday, a work party from Spokane Preservation Advocates is going to rip newer metal siding off a neoclassical home in the West Central Neighborhood as part of an effort to restore the stately residence to its historic look.

Homeowner Eileen Murphy, 2027 W. Shannon Ave., said she is excited to have the volunteer organization help her out.

“I feel like I won the lottery,” she said about being selected for the SPA’s monthly “doing it” project.

Her elegant 1905 home is a bit unusual for a neighborhood of middle-class homes. It has four square columns rising from the front porch to a classical second-story gable front, giving it the feeling of one of the grander mansions of Browne’s Addition or the lower South Hill.

Murphy, who moved into the home in 2006, is dedicating herself and her resources to bringing back as much of the original look as possible within a budget.

“It’s so expensive to get the work done,” she said.

That’s one of the reasons that the preservation advocates organization offers the “doing it” projects, which in the past have included painting old homes, and one session recently working inside the Masonic Temple downtown. A similar “unveiling,” or removal of metal siding, was done by the organization at least one other time in recent years, said Lori Nicol of SPA.

Murphy is planning a small party with a Flag Day theme to host the volunteers at the end of the work effort.

Already, Murphy has hired a carpenter to rebuild her front porch and place reinforcing wooden beams inside the front porch columns. The columns hold up a second-story, open-air porch and the front of the overhead gable. She is planning to paint the house after the siding is removed. Murphy also wants to improve the landscaping and install a sprinkler system.

She sought advice from a preservation consultant, building engineer and from a city building inspector as part of the work.

“I would like it to look the way it should look,” she said of the historic exterior.

A semi-retired clerical worker, Murphy moved to Spokane in 1982 and soon noticed the house, which occupies a perch atop a small hill at Shannon Avenue and Belt Street.

“I like old houses,” she said. “This one has always caught my eye.”

Her brother bought the house four years ago and had the interior updated. The house passed to Murphy when her brother died.

She hired preservation consultant Linda Yeomans to research the history of the home and potentially apply for a listing on the historic register, she said. Yeomans put her in touch with SPA for the “doing it” work party.

So far, she has learned that the house has had a large number of owners over the years, and apparently was built for someone significant in the community, possibly the developer of the subdivision. Neighbors have told her that Bing Crosby is said to have taken piano lessons in the house, but proving that is unlikely, Murphy said.

“It’s one of my favorite homes,” she said.

For more information about SPA or to join the organization, go to the SPA Web site at www.spokanepreservation.org/.