For the past 20 years our family has had the honor of being the owners and stewards of the Glover Mansion. We purchased the Mansion in September 2004 while living in Seattle. I had recently left my job of 16 years in corporate catering and food contract service and was hoping to start my own business. At that time, my family drove to Spokane to see extended family and run Bloomsday. After the race, I found an article in the Inlander about the Glover that was up for sale. 

 

I was familiar with the Glover because my brother Jim and his wife Terri had been the caterers in the building in the mid 90’s and opened a restaurant in the space during that time. 

 

We toured it with the owners the next day. It was no longer a catering or restaurant space, and it needed some work. But the current owners had updated power and wiring and put on a beautiful copper roof the year before. It took all summer to negotiate the sale, but we got done on September 1, 2004. 

 

We went to work right away to make improvements that would make the Mansion ready to host events in the style we wanted. We began with our back yard garden space. We hired Hasse Landscaping to create a beautiful wedding garden out of what was a hilly and rocky slope. After the summer of 2005, it was apparent that we needed air conditioning, so we converted the old radiant heat boilers to a modern heating and AC system using a technique that maintained the historic integrity of the building. Those were some of the biggest (most expensive) projects but far from being the only ones. We also consulted with the Eastern Washington Historic society to understand the glasswork, wall designs, beautiful word work, and history of the previous occupants.

 

Over the years we have been fortunate to host nearly 2000 events, the majority of which were weddings but also included any kind of gathering you could think of. Local nonprofit and political fundraisers, business meetings, movie productions Bar Mitzvahs and all manner of gatherings have happened along with the hundreds of weddings that made up the groups that made the mansion their home for the night. We have so many cherished stories and memories. 

 

Our extended Spokane family and friends have also participated in the fun. Having had their kids’ weddings, their anniversary parties, birthdays, graduations, and celebrations of life. Both our kids got their catering and event work experience here as well. The highlight event for us was our daughter’s wedding in September 2016. She and her fiancé Nick were living in Washington, DC, and wanted to be married in Spokane at the Mansion. We broke all our own rules, including planning an indoor-outdoor wedding and reception for 240 guests, and even allowed confetti. It was an amazing night. 

 

Our final family event was the life celebration for my 93-year-old father, who passed away in November. That day, we were able to introduce Taylor, our 3-year-old granddaughter, to Spokane and what she called “Papa’s Castle”. 

 

Our business will continue in several other fantastic venues, but it began at the Mansion and was our only venue for the first three years. It was formative in our way of doing business. It is a warm and hospitable place, which has influenced how we work and will continue to. Over those years, we have had the privilege of working with so many amazing people, many of whom became close friends. 

 

We recently made the tough decision to sell The Mansion. We were successful in finding the people of Connelly Law Group to turn it over to. This practice has its offices in historic buildings in both Seattle and Tacoma and were drawn to the Mansion because of its Spokane history, location, and beauty. I know they will be great stewards, partly because of our agreement that during this transition, we will host all the events booked into the Mansion exactly as our customers planned. 

 

Thanks to everyone in Spokane who helped us be successful for the last 20 years.