1961: The Downtowner Motel at 165 S. Washington St., opened in 1957, was built by Gerald “Jerry” Larson with partners Claude C. Murray and Warren Hoesly. The advertisements called it the first large downtown motel in Spokane. The Downtowner was opened after the partnership built the Bel Air Motel at 1303 E. Sprague a year earlier. They sold the motels in 1961. The architecture and signage were vintage midcentury modern design. (THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW PHOTO ARCHIVE)
Present day: The 1957 Downtowner Motel is one of two motels built by contractor G.O. “Jerry” Lawson and his partners and both are still standing and operating under their original names, though Larson and his partners sold out in the 1960s. (JESSE TINSLEY/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW)
Gerald O. “Jerry” Larson was raised in North Dakota and moved to the Northwest in 1938. He was a door-to-door salesman, a construction worker and served in the Army Air Corps Reserve during World War II. He arrived in Spokane in 1951 and continued in the construction industry.
Gerald O. “Jerry” Larson was raised in North Dakota and moved to the Northwest in 1938. He was a door-to-door salesman, a construction worker and served in the Army Air Corps Reserve during World War II. He arrived in Spokane in 1951 and continued in the construction industry.