Our mansion was designed by Spokane architect Kirtland Cutter for James Glover and his wife Susan. Glover is known as the father of Spokane. It was Cutters first major commission, done when he was 23 years old. James Glover arrived in Spokane in 1872 from Portland Oregon with $6000. He quickly began purchasing property in and around the future downtown area. 160 acres in all on the south bank of the river up the hill. He made most of his money in real estate and started the first bank in the city.

The Mansion was finished in 1888, one year before the Spokane fire that destroyed downtown. It is 12000 total square feet of space with 8 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms. It is constructed entirely of granite from quarries around the little Spokane River. There are 8 different types of wood used in the house from northwestern red fir to Minnesota oak and Spanish cherry. When he and his wife Susan moved into the house it was just the two of them and 12 domestic servants on the third floor.

Most of what you see on the first floor is original including the wall fabrics in the dining room and on the mezzanine. The blue fabric in the great hall is around 70 years old. It replaced a copper colored fabric that you can see running across the top of the wall on the second floor above you.
The original heat supply was a wood and coal fired boiler in the basement that supplied radiant heat. It was taken out of service (it had been converted to gas) in 2005 and replaced it with a high-pressure HVAC system made for use i historic homes because of its ability to limit the amount of ductwork .
There was also an early attempt at air-conditioning in the house. A manifold of pipes that had cold well water pumped through them and a fan that shot cold air though the vents in the floor of the great hall and the dining room. The original lot ran to the top of the hill behind the house up to Summit, west about 200 feet and east another 100 yards. Over successive ownership it was sold in stages to its present size of 1/2 acre.

Glover himself only owned the house for 5 years and lost it in the panic of 1893. He was said to have lost over $1.5 million during that time. Kirtland Cutter then designed him a more modest bungalow on Summit blvd. on the north side of town. He lived there until his death in 1921.
As far as we can tell there have been 8 owners of the property in 128 years. Quite a few when you consider that two of the owners, The Welsh family and the Unitarian church combined to own it from 1908 – 1992. A total of 84 of 130 years.

Some other fun facts to consider. Place your hands against the top of the lion’s mouths on the fireplace. You will see that one is worn and the other still has ridges. That is because one tends to be rubbed more that the other. The Ridges in the top of the mouth of the lions shows the level of detail that was a hallmark of Cutter’s designs.

Mrs. Welch had the peacocks on the ceiling of the Great Hall painted over because she felt they were bad luck. They were later restored. Everything else on the ceiling, a combination of watercolors and oil are original.

The elevator, which has been modernized, was the first residential elevator in Spokane. It was installed in 1908 works well but is very slow. About I foot per second.

We are fortunate to have the opportunity to be the current stewards of the Glover Mansion and look forward to many more years holding parties for businesses and families in Spokane.