Wireless fire detection preserves timeless feel at Washington hotel
The hotel's original founder, a 21-year old named Louis Davenport, was actually one of those hired to help clear away the remnants of the 1889 disaster. This entrepreneurial youth took the $125 he earned from this job and opened Davenport's Famous Waffle Foundry. This was the start of a chain of successful restaurants, which led to ownership of most of Spokane's east end and the eventual opening of the luxurious Davenport Hotel in 1914.
For decades considered among the best hotels west of the Mississippi River, the magnificent Davenport spanned a city block and offered its guests the highest level of service, including telephones in every room. Inspired by Italian Renaissance architecture, the Davenport was known for its antiques and fine art as well as the hundreds of tropical songbirds that filled its lobby and foyers.