A Low-Key Birthday Party Hasson Advocates Courthouse Restoration

The bronze plaque says it all: “Look up, look around.”

Historic preservationists hope it encourages visitors to appreciate the deliciously ornate Spokane County Courthouse.

Before about 30 well-wishers Monday, Commissioner Steve Hasson unveiled the plaque honoring the courthouse’s 100th birthday.

Hasson pledged to champion interior restoration efforts, starting with the bare and dusty foyer. His hope: Turn it into a showcase of courthouse and county history.

“We need to have an inspiration for the people who work here,” he said.

The splendid facade of the castlelike building draws people, but they usually are disappointed when they come inside because of “sterile” remodeling projects over the years, Hasson said.

While taxpayer money is in short supply, volunteers, civic groups and businesses are being asked to contribute to preservation-minded projects. County officials are calling for historical photographs that could be put on display.

The four-story brick and terra cotta building, designed by 29-year-old Spokane architect Willis Ritchie, opened its doors Nov. 20, 1895.

Historians say it did much more than provide a sprawling new home for fledgling county government.

It also was a siren song for settlers - promising culture, sophistication and stability.

Today, the courthouse is one of only two in Washington that has remained true to its original purpose for 100 years or longer. The other, also designed by Ritchie, is in Port Townsend.

Monday’s birthday party was a collision of past and present.

While admirers spoke of the courthouse’s rich past, a security guard stood by the locked front doors, shooing visitors to a side entrance where a metal detector is located.

The centennial plaque, to be mounted outside the building off West Broadway, was a joint effort of the county and Cheney Cowles Museum’s Historic Preservation Committee.

Museum Director Glenn Mason called the courthouse “one of the most beautiful in the West.”

“There is no more important building to Spokane’s history,” said Teresa Brum, city-county historic preservation officer.

“If the walls could talk today, they’d tell some incredible stories,” she said.

Afterward, Brum said she is encouraged by the vows to preserve the courthouse for future generations to enjoy.

“It’s a good beginning,” she said.

, DataTimes