Landmarks: Phelps House in Browne’s Addition had intriguing original owners

The historic Phelps House in Browne’s Addition has any number of remarkable elements that speak to its elegance and architectural stature. Perhaps its most important contributions to the culture of the area, however, have to do with who lived there and the fact that it’s an example for owners of classic older homes to restore them to their original single-family residence status.

More than 95 percent of the home’s interior retains its original floor plan, materials, design and workmanship, said Linda Yeomans, the historic preservation consultant who prepared the documentation for the home’s listing on the Spokane Register of Historic Places in 2009 (it was listed on the National Register in 1976).

The 2 1/2-story classic Queen Anne house at 2118 W. Second Ave. was built for $10,000 in 1901. It faces Coeur d’Alene Park and is filled with beautiful woodwork, high ceilings, original light fixtures and all the touches of the grand homes that were built for the rich and powerful during Spokane’s early days. An iron hitching post and ring remain by the front curb, once used for tethering horses. Noted architect Albert Held designed the home for businessman Moses Phelps and his wife, Netta, a socialite, philanthropist and author.

Moses Phelps came to the Pacific Northwest from his native Massachusetts in 1886 and discovered there was no transportation past Rathdrum, according to an account written by his granddaughter Mary Phelps Engstrom. Apparently he then walked from Rathdrum to Spokane, fell in love with the place and settled down. He was a lumberman whose products were used in many noted structures in the area, including the Spokane County Courthouse. He was also president and treasurer of the Interstate Telephone Co., a director and vice president of Fidelity National Bank and was active in civic and social organizations in the city.

Netta Wells Sheldon Phelps may perhaps have the more intriguing biography. Also from Massachusetts, where she and Moses were married, she was a gifted vocalist and pianist who was a music instructor by age 15. A serious bout of influenza ended her career as a vocalist, so she focused on being a helpmate to her husband, especially in social causes. She was a pioneer of the tuberculosis prevention movement, was involved with the baby clinic and Social Service Bureau, and was a state regent for the Daughters of the American Revolution.

After her husband died in 1933, she became fascinated with the story of the Sager children, the seven orphans who were adopted by Marcus and Narcissa Whitman after their parents died. The Whitmans were missionaries who died in southeastern Washington in what was known as the Whitman Massacre in 1847. The two Sager boys were killed in the massacre, one girl died while the survivors were held hostage by members of the Cayuse Tribe, and the surviving four girls were ransomed.

Netta Phelps determined, in her own words, “to portray this chapter of Western history for a wider audience,” and in 1942 she wrote and published “The Valiant Seven,” a historical narrative of the Sager children. When she died in 1953, her home was sold to Great Western Savings and Loan, a time when a nationwide housing boom saw large older homes like hers converted into multifamily apartments. And that’s just what happened to the Phelps House in 1954 when, without much modification, it was divided into four apartments.

The property changed owners several times in the next 40 years and was purchased in 1990 by Dr. David Ladich-Rogers and his wife, Maurina, who spent seven years restoring it to a single-family dwelling. Vicki Carter and Joseph Poire purchased the home in 2008, and they put a significant amount of time and money into maintenance and further restoration.

“The historic Phelps House is a premier example of successful rehabilitation to reverse multifamily apartments to original single-family design and encourages other homeowners throughout Spokane to do the same,” Yeomans said. “It is one of the finest restored properties in Browne’s Addition.”

Matt and Gillian Murphy purchased the home in January 2014 and are raising their young family there. Matt is vice president for operations with Metals Fabrication Co. in Airway Heights, and Gillian, who converted the second-floor sewing room into her home office, is an employment attorney with Davis Wright Tremaine.

They are both from Palouse, Washington, where she grew up in a house built in 1880 and he grew up in one built in 1904. When they moved to Spokane from Seattle, they knew they wanted an older home. It is a lot of work to maintain an older home, she admits – “It seems like we’re constantly moving tall ladders to change light bulbs” – but she thinks it’s worth it.

“When we walked into this house, my jaw dropped,” she said. “There is such a spacious layout, lots of light, even a trapeze on the third floor – and, well, it just felt warm. I love, too, that this neighborhood has some of that urban feel; it reminds me of Seattle’s Capitol Hill. There’s Art Fest, Elkfest, shops I can walk to and a wonderful park to enjoy just outside the door.”

It feels like home.