RANT: The Knickerbocker...

It's been awhile since we last posted to the good ol' blemish category.  Given that the hour is getting late we'll make this one short.  The owners of the circa 1912 Knickerbocker Apartments at Fifth and Howard need to pick up the slack.

If we've ever seen a candidate for 'demolition by neglect' ala Wendell Reugh, it's this building.  The pictures alone speak for themselves. The building looked pretty well occupied, but if the outside looks this bad we shudder to think what the inside looks like.  A quote from the City of Spokane's Historic Preservation Office states:

Located in close proximity to downtown, Held’s apartment buildings were among the first structures in Spokane designed and built exclusively as apartments. They were elegantly designed with wealthy tenants in mind; mining magnate and civic leader Graham E. Dennis, the owner of the Knickerbocker, spent $200,000 on the building, which he lived in, and expected from Held the “finest apartment house west of New York.”

Congratulations owner(s) of the Knickerbocker, we declare you inept at managing multi-family housing.   Please contact Wells & Company or some other responsible developer of historic properties as soon as possible.

Best regards,

Metrospokane

Comments

[MK]

The first apartment my wife and I lived in was at the Knickerbocker (about 5 years ago). We selected it because we could afford to live there on two part-time incomes while still going to school.

The building was not in good shape and we felt our apartment needed some considerable work before we moved in. We painted every room and were paid back by the manager Eugene.

While I have many great stories about living there I will say our apartment was beautiful and huge for very little money. That unfortunately was not enough to win over my wife, especially after one of our neighbors was stabbed and left a trail of blood from his aprtment down the hallway and out the front door.

They have a website located here. I think Eugene might be the owner as well as the manager and he has some form of MS or some other disease that makes it very hard for him to leave his apartment. He is very nice and unfortunately gets taken advantage of often.

[metrospokane]

MK-
Thanks for the info & the link. Even in its current state it's an incredible building. It just needs a little more attention and maintenence. Given it's (now) prime location the place could really rebound.

[Todd]

Well the building looks beautiful from the photos. Especially with that glint of sunset beaming onto it up top. Although, please also add a red arrow in your one photo to the cigarette-butt container. :)

[Spencer]

"If we've ever seen a candidate for 'demolition by neglect' ala Wendell Reugh, it's this building."

I can hardly agree with this assessment. Garbage on the sidewalk and poor landscaping hardly qualify a building as demolition worthy. Even from your pictures it is obvious that this building is well built and very unique.

[METROSPOKANE]

S-

You misunderstood the statement. It's a candidate for 'demolition by neglect' not a candidate for demolition. Big difference. We're merely pointing out that letting necessary maintenance go by the way side is a similar tactic taken by Mr. Reugh. After 20 year of neglect, two once solid buildings are nearly beyond salvation. Not to mention, if it looks this rough on the outside, the inside can't be doing much better. We'd like to think so, but we're not holding our breath. It's a shame for such a wonderful building.