Montvale Hotel, hotel in Spokane, Washington
Montvale Hotel is the oldest hotel still standing in Spokane, built in 1899 with a red brick facade and period details that remain visible. The ground floor now houses a restaurant and pub while guest rooms occupy the upper levels, creating a mixed-use space that blends retail and hospitality.
The building was constructed in 1899 by Judge John Blinkley as the Montvale Block and quickly became a densely populated residence for workers. In 1913, businessman William J. Kilmer purchased the building and opened a hardware store that remained a local institution until the 1960s.
The hotel served for decades as a refuge for working-class residents and travelers with limited means seeking affordable housing in Spokane. This role shaped how the building functioned as a social gathering place where people from different backgrounds shared the same roof.
The hotel sits in downtown Spokane and is easily walkable, with ground-floor dining and drinking spaces open to the public. The rooms are compact, as in most historic hotels, but the location offers an authentic sense of early 1900s residential architecture in the city.
William J. Kilmer's hardware store became so established that it served generations of Spokane residents before closing in the 1960s. Visitors can still observe traces of this retail legacy in the ground-floor layout, which reflects the building's commercial past.
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