Kehoe building in Hillyard

The 1907 brick structure bearing the name of two giants in the early days of Hillyard has been home to a bar, a hardware store and more on the street level at the corner of Olympic Avenue and Market Street for decades. But enter the building at the rear, and climb the old wooden steps where Agnes Kehoe could once spy boarders trying to sneak in dates after-hours, and you emerge into an old railroad SRO lodging house largely untouched by the hands of time.

Section:Gallery

Thu., Oct. 29, 2020

Bob Whittaker peers out into a light shaft area on the second floor of the Keho Building. Whittaker, the new owner of the Kehoe block, a 1907 brick structure in Hillyard, is hoping to preserve some of its early century charm. It sits at the corner of Olympic Avenue and Market Street, Oct,. 28, 2020.

Dan Pelle The Spokesman-Review Buy this photo
Bob Whittaker, the new owner of the historic Kehoe block, a 1907 brick structure in Hillyard, is hoping to preserve some of the site’s early century charm.

Dan Pelle The Spokesman-Review Buy this photo
Horse-drawn carriages dot the street in front of the Kehoe Building in this undated photo. Bob Whittaker, the new owner of the Kehoe block, a 1907 brick structure in Hillyard, is hoping to preserve some of its early century charm. It sits at the corner of Olympic Avenue and Market Street, Oct,. 28, 2020.

Courtesy Bob Whittaker
Sandra Bilbrey and Bob Whittaker, right, go through the contents of a leather wallet they found a few weeks ago in a bathroom space of the Kehoe brick building.

Dan Pelle The Spokesman-Review Buy this photo
Bob Whittaker, the new owner of the Kehoe block, a 1907 brick structure in Hillyard, is hoping to preserve some of its early century charm. It sits at the corner of Olympic Avenue and Market Street, Oct,. 28, 2020.

Dan Pelle The Spokesman-Review Buy this photo
Bob Whittaker calls the pealing paint color on the stairway walls Pepto pink. Whittaker, the new owner of the Kehoe block, a 1907 brick structure in Hillyard, is hoping to preserve some of its early century charm. It sits at the corner of Olympic Avenue and Market Street, Oct,. 28, 2020.

Dan Pelle The Spokesman-Review Buy this photo
Bob Whittaker, the new owner of the Kehoe block, a 1907 brick structure in Hillyard, is hoping to preserve some of its early century charm. It sits at the corner of Olympic Avenue and Market Street, Oct,. 28, 2020. Here he exits his building onto Olympic Street.

Dan Pelle The Spokesman-Review Buy this photo
Abby the dog wanders the hallways of the Kehoe building, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2020. Bob Whittaker, the new owner of the Kehoe block, a 1907 brick structure in Hillyard, is hoping to preserve some of its early century charm. It sits at the corner of Olympic Avenue and Market Street.

Dan Pelle The Spokesman-Review Buy this photo
Sandra Bilbrey and Bob Whittaker are the new owners of the Kehoe block, a 1907 brick structure in Hillyard, is hoping to preserve some of its early century charm. It sits at the corner of Olympic Avenue and Market Street, Oct,. 28, 2020. On the wall is a portrait of Thomas Kehoe.

Dan Pelle The Spokesman-Review Buy this photo
BOB Whittaker, the new owner of the Kehoe block, a 1907 brick structure in Hillyard, is hoping to preserve some of its early century charm, like the colorful linoleum floor coverings. It sits at the corner of Olympic Avenue and Market Street, Oct,. 28, 2020.

Dan Pelle The Spokesman-Review Buy this photo
Kehoe Hardware on the short main street in Hillyard in 1991.

The Spokesman-Review Photo Archive
Agnes Kehoe, owner of a Hillyard hardware store and civic activist. This photo is from 1956.

The Spokesman-Review Photo Archive
Agnes Kehoe was an influential business woman, civic leader, state legislator throughout the 1900s in Spokane. She was nicknamed "Mrs. Hillyard" for the work she did in that neighborhood.

Northwest Museum Of Arts And Culture
Agnes Kehoe was an influential business woman, civic leader, state legislator throughout the 1900s in Spokane. She was nicknamed "Mrs. Hillyard" for the work she did in that neighborhood.

Northwest Museum Of Arts And Culture
Mrs. Agnes Kehoe, Hillyard hardware store operator and civic leader, receives a certificate of recognition from the Hillyard Commercial club for her many years of service in Hillyard civic groups. Robert Whitlock, president of the club, is shown presenting the award to her in 1956.

Cowles Publishing
The Agnes Kehoe Place apartments at the corner of Everett Ave. and Regal St. in Hillyard was once Hillyard High School. Kehoe was a Hillyard pioneer who served in the state legislature.

Jesse Tinsley The Spokesman-Review