Preserving Mission Ave.

Six homes on East Mission, all part of the Mission Avenue National Historic District, are being placed on the local Spokane Register of Historic Places as a way to create additional protection for the neighborhood’s century-old legacy.

One home at 429 E. Mission Ave. has already been placed on the local register and five more are eligible for listing under nominations written by the city’s Historic Preservation Office.

The listings come as a reaction to the development of apartment buildings on lots of other older homes in the neighborhood in past years, and the action marks the first time that Spokane city staff has prepared nomination forms for homeowners, officials said.

“I think we have a gem here,” said Laurel Havens, who lives at 630 E. Mission Ave. in an eye-catching Queen Anne home built in 1904 for the Zeph Lane family.

Known as the Lane House, the home features unusual leaded-glass windows with spider web design, as well as floral plaster work at the top of gables. The house has a large curving staircase, wide front porch, red fir woodwork and a custom fireplace. The original carriage house still stands at the rear of the property.

Kathleen Riley, the owner of the home, said she purchased the property in 1973 because she liked the idea of living near Gonzaga University in an established neighborhood.

“I like that it’s close to the Centennial Trail. I like that it’s close to downtown. I like that it’s easy to get on and off the freeway. I like the neighborhood here,” said Riley, who studied history in college. “I really connect with things that have history.”

Lane was a lumber dealer on West Broadway Avenue when the home was built for him. He only lived there for five years. The home went through a series of owners before the Jason and Nellie Hanifen purchased it in 1919. A railroad superintendent, Hanifen lived there until he died in 1950, and his wife and children continued to own it until 1959.

William Meyer, a member of the City-County Landmarks Commission, described the Lane House as in excellent condition, and one of few homes to still have its original carriage house.

According to the nomination written by staffer Aimee Flinn, the Mission National Historic District has lost some of its historic character in the 21 years since it was created in 1986. “A handful of homes have been demolished for infill construction, including one at 528 E. Mission Ave. Infill has also taken place behind existing homes, resulting in larger secondary structures that are often multifamily rentals or the construction of massive additions at the rear of homes,” Flinn wrote.

Flinn said a neighborhood activist asked the preservation office to work on getting properties within the national historic district listed on the Spokane register to help stem the proliferation of apartments.

She said residents “were very concerned about the historic integrity of the homes” near Gonzaga.

“We did this specifically for the Logan Neighborhood,” Flinn told the City-County Historic Landmarks Commission last month.

Riley told the commission, “I was grateful for the help.”

The national district includes 57 properties on a seven-block segment of Mission Avenue parkway.

Flinn sent letters to owners of 30 properties and received responses from about 10. The list was eventually whittled down to five homes for which Flinn wrote nominations and a sixth home that was separately listed by owners, Ray and Cathy Kelleher, at 429 E. Mission Ave. Ray Kelleher wrote the nomination for his 1934 Tudor-style bungalow known as the Sheehy-Kelleher House. It was originally built for J.J. Sheehy, a railroad chief clerk. The Kellehers purchased it in 1967.