The Davenport Hotel has been world famous since it opened in September of 1914. It was the first hotel with air conditioning, a central vacuum system, housekeeping carts (designed by Louis Davenport himself), accordion ballroom doors and Crab Louis (named for Louis Davenport). The Spokane newspaper introduced the hotel to the public with a special Sunday insert trumpeting "the new two million dollar hostelry of Spokane," even though the project was 50% over budget and actually cost $3 million. At its opening, The Davenport Hotel was the largest private telephone branch exchange in the entire Pacific Northwest (with 450 handsets) and was similarly the largest and most complicated plumbing job (with 30-miles of pipes delivering hot, cold and drinking water to every one of its 405 rooms). Gilded with gold, sparkled by crystal and illuminated throughout with "electroliers," it was as grand as the finest ocean liners of the day. It was truly one of America's exceptional hotels.

Near death and rebirth
Mr. Davenport sold his beloved hotel in 1945 and saw it die around him. Mr. Davenport passed away in his suite at the hotel in 1951; his wife Verus in 1967. Each successive owner through the second half of the 20th century took more than they gave to the property. The Davenport Hotel was closed in 1985 and demolition was considered. By the time the Davenport's only son died in 1987, it was generally believed that the Davenport Hotel would be destroyed. A demolition crew determined the entire block could be dropped in 20 seconds but the nightmare of airborne asbestos saved it from implosion. Dismantling and salvage was determined to be too expensive so the hotel remained closed for 15 years.

"Hope for the Davenport" was reported in March of 2000 when local entrepreneurs Walt & Karen Worthy purchased the entire city block for $6.5 million, then spent the next two years of their lives--and $38 million of their own money--to make The Davenport Hotel grand again. The hotel's public spaces and ballrooms were restored to what they would have looked like when they were new. (Yes, that's real gold leaf around the fireplace). The hotel's guest floors were taken back to bare concrete and built anew with fresh wiring, plumbing, drywall, furniture and fixtures. The Hall of the Doges, Spokane's oldest and finest ballroom, was removed from the oldest part of the structure and re-installed in the new East addition. The removal was accomplished by lifting the ballroom out intact... making it the only flying ballroom in the world.The Davenport Hotel was re-established in September of 2002 with the ringing of a ship's bell eight times signaling a change of the watch.

The Davenport Hotel stands today as a perfect blend of old and new, respecting the best of what was and embracing the best of what is. The old lobby fireplace burns again year-round as a symbol of hospitality. A new digital network invisibly ties every room of the hotel to the Internet. Spokane's finest restaurant, spa, candy shop, and book store all reside under the same roof as Spokane's finest hotel.

The Davenport Hotel is again "one of America's exceptional hotels."