Jim Kershner’s this day in history

From our archives, 100 years ago

A huge new project was announced for downtown: The Davenport Hotel.

Stockholders announced they planned to build a $2 million, 14-story hotel covering the entire city block where Davenport’s Restaurant currently stood, between Sprague and First avenues.

And this was not going to be any run-of-the-mill hotel. It would have 406 rooms, “370 of which will connect with baths.” Louis M. Davenport, who announced the project, said he planned to make the building “the last word in hotel construction.” 

The architectural firm of Cutter & Malmgren had already been engaged, and the front page of The Spokesman-Review contained an architectural drawing that looked nearly identical to today’s building.

Despite the grand nature of the hotel, Davenport said he planned on charging “popular prices,” because he believed the traveling public should be protected from “exorbitant charges.” He estimated completion in 10 months.

From the crime beat: Police found Catherine Burt, aka Edith Wilson, aka Edith Davis, in a local boarding house. She confessed to throwing carbolic acid on the face of George Copelli the day before. She said she did it for revenge because Copelli had been “talking about her.”

Another man, apparently her new boyfriend, leaped from a second-story window when police arrived.