Prize-Winning Places Eastern Washington Historical Society Recognizes Four Exceptional Projects With Preservation Awards

If anyone had asked pioneer Spokane businessman Frederic Elmendorf what his legacy would be, he probably would have cited his efforts to create a local YMCA and chamber of commerce, or the prosperous real estate firm that bore his name.

But Jefferson Elementary third-grade teacher Joan Butler remembers Elmendorf for something more personal: the Dutch Colonial home he built on a bluff at 241 E. Ninth. That’s where Elmendorf and his wife, Margaret, raised their young family and watched a young city grow, and where he resided until his death in 1941 at age 71.

Butler’s dedication to Elmendorf House and the surrounding neighborhood has earned her one of four Historic Preservation Awards chosen recently by the Eastern Washington State Historical Society.

Other projects recognized by the historical society include downtown Spokane’s Kemp & Hebert (Liberty) Building, home of Auntie’s Bookstore, Washington Mutual Loan Center and ALSC Architects; South Hill’s Daniel Chase Corbin House, site of Corbin Art Center; and Preston Hall junior high school in Waitsburg, Wash.

Elmendorf House, tucked away on a heavily wooded dead-end street near Sacred Heart Medical Center, changed hands several times during the decade following its original owner’s death.

Then in 1955, a family of 10 moved in and stayed for a quarter-century. By the time Butler bought it in 1980, Elmendorf House showed predictable signs of wear and tear.

Gradually, Butler worked her way through the three-story house, blending her eclectic tastes with the home’s original country decor. In the living room, for instance, Mexican sculpture and French glass compete for attention with a brawny, rustic basalt fireplace.

Outside, though, is where Butler has had the most impact, not only on her own house, but on the whole block. Neighbors have told her that it was her enthusiasm for historic preservation that inspired them to reclaim former rental homes and to stand up to local condominium developers who threatened to overwhelm the quiet avenue. Butler proudly reports that the developers listened to her and her neighbors, and agreed to acceptable compromises.

Just last year, though, another developer - this one from Seattle - tried to purchase her residence and a next-door neighbor’s, with the intension of razing the homes and building an apartment complex.

“I told him, ‘You don’t have enough money to buy my home,”’ Butler recalls. “After all the work my kids and I have put into it, it’s more than just a house. It’s part of my history now.”

Here’s what the awards committee had to say about this year’s other winners:

Kemp & Hebert Building, and owners Shannon Ahern and Chris O’Harr

A: “Great adaptive reuse, much like the original department/ general store… saved many historical aspects (including a central skylight)… revitalized an area of downtown going downhill.”

Daniel Chase Corbin House, and Corbin Art Center director Lynn Mandyke: “Helped city recognize and appreciate what a jewel it has… rescued, rediscovered and replaced historical details and structural integrity.”

Preston Hall and the Waitsburg Historical Society: “(Rallied) whole city behind project… (returned building) to its original use as a school (while) preserving historical elements.”

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