Hidden Spokane: Secret messages of the Davenport Hotel
In1985 the hotel was forced to close its doors until a massive overhaul brought the Davenport back to life in 2002.
The Historic Davenport Hotel escaped demolition in 2000, but long before its multi-million renovation the historic hotel became home to two Hidden Spokane features.
Louis Davenport opened the Davenport Hotel in Downtown Spokane in 1914. At its height, the Davenport was described as "a beacon of culture and refinement," which welcomed guests like Amelia Earhart, Clark Gable, Babe Ruth and John F. Kennedy.
But by 1985 the hotel was forced to close its doors until a massive overhaul brought the Davenport back to life in 2002.
Much of the original grandeur of the Davenport Hotel still exists along with at least one hidden messages engraved into the woodwork. The second floor of the Davenport Hotel contains a message hidden in plain site. Start the slideshow below to find out what it says and how to find it.
Back in the late 1890s, Louis Davenport kept all his fortunes in his safe at the Davenport. That safe is now kept in a parking garage under Post Street in the same spot where Davenport's office used to be.
Staff did not have a need to move the safe, so they kept it in the original location. They use the safe as part of a tour from time to time. The staff at the Davenport do not know where the doors of the safe or the money inside went.
The Davenport staff said the safe is a unique piece of history that is worth preserving and sharing with others.
Another little mystery hidden inside the Davenport includes a proposal worked into the detail on a wall that reads, "Will You Marry Me."
The Davenport spokesman Matt Jensen said the message was discovered when they renovated the hotel in 2002. One of the painters was on a ladder and noticed the words written into the wood grain. Staff at the Davenport do not know who the person was behind the message or why they put it there, but it has been the backdrop for hundreds of proposals.
On the seventh floor guests can find what Davenport spokesman Matt Jensen described as the "only original guest room."
Below the sidewalks and historic buildings of Spokane sits a deserted series of tunnels. The five-foot tall tunnel under the Davenport is just one of many secret passages beneath the Lilac City. The tunnel, which is closed the public, eventually expands as you walk along the path. And as it becomes taller, the tunnel under the Davenport also fills with water from underground springs according to Jensen.
During the Davenport Hotel's early years the tunnel was used to provide steam heat from the Steam Plant in Downtown Spokane to nearby buildings. However, the last boiler was shutdown in 1986, according to the Steam Plant's website, when Washington Water Power determined it was not economically feasible to continue the practice.
