Register Adds Home, Building

A South Side home and a well-known downtown building recently were added to Spokane’s register of historic places.

The City Council unanimously agreed Monday to designate the Charles Edward Marr House and the Paulsen Building as city landmarks.

The Marr house at 204 W. 16th Avenue near Manito Park was built in 1912 and 1913 by architect Frank G. Hutchinson.

The nomination form describes the Marr home as an “excellent, well-preserved example of the American Craftsman bungalow,” an Indian word meaning “covered porch.”

Grocery magnate Marr - who built Spokane’s first Safeway - bought the 2,000-square-foot house in 1915 for $6,400. Marr began with one grocery store in 1909, and by 1919 owned 575 stores in four cities and two states, the nomination said.

The Marrs lived in the home for 24 years, selling it in 1947 for $11,339 to Warren and Anna Belle Leland, owners of Leland Manufacturing and Developing Company.

The house changed hands many times after the Leland’s sold it in 1962.

In 1992, Timothy and Cynthea Cunningham bought the home and are restoring it to its former appearance. The 11-story Paulsen Building at 421 W. Riverside was built in 1909 by mining magnate August Paulsen for $900,000.

Danish immigrant Paulsen struck it rich mining in Wallace and came to Spokane to build the first skyscraper. At the time of its construction, the Paulsen Building had the largest terra cotta cornice of any building in the West.

Also Monday, the council set a hearing Dec. 17 before the council on a South Side local improvement district that would pave, curb and add sidewalks to Second Avenue from Perry to Helena streets.

, DataTimes