THE PATSY CLARK MANSION
The Patsy Clark Mansion is now home to offices
and holds receptions.
Patsy Clark's Mansion: 2208 West Second Avenue, Spokane, Washington.
509-839-8300
DESCRIPTION:
This National Register of Historic
Places structure, which is treasured by the community, is a 12,000 square
foot, three story 1897 mansion, which now houses on the second floor,
the law offices of Eymann, Allison Fennessy, Hunter and Jones. After being bought by a separate entity formed by
this law firm's partners, Spokane Civic Group LLC for a mere 1.03 million
dollars in February 2003, an extensive 1 million dollar renovation effort
began to restore the original finery that was present when it was built
to be "the most luxurious mansion ever."
Though this massive fixer-upper project
was supposed to be done 6 months ago as of November 7, 2005, quite a lot
was accomplished to a mansion looking a little long in the tooth, in need
of some TLC.
Practical matters such as a new roof,
pulling up carpets and redoing the hard wood floors, replacing the electrical
wiring, plumbing and irrigation systems for the yard were accomplished.
The mansion's decks and nine fireplaces, the east patio, and boarded up
windows near the old restaurant kitchen were restored.
To bring the mansion into the 21st
century, a new bathroom was built onto the first floor, which matched
the nearby dining room. Each room in the mansion has its own heating and
ventilation unit.
One of the rooms on the first floor
can be used soon as a rental for local organizations for meetings. It
will offer removable tables, a "retractable projection screen" and 20
computer hook-ups.
Consultants were brought in to be
sure that this renovation is historically accurate, as both the general
repair and detail work was carefully done by craftsmen and other experts
in restoration.
The wood inside as well as other things
needed hours of repair and restoration due to its age and the fact that
the restaurant experience left dings and bruises. But the final result
must be stunning, especially the columns near the breath-taking Tiffany
stained-glass windows.
Some of the artifacts found in the
mansion were sent away to experts to be cleaned, restored, such as the
mid-1800s German monastery wall coverings, which were sent to an expert
living in Moscow
The firm plans to offer tours of the
mansion in its restored state, which allows the public to see what great
shape Spokane's "eclectic landmark" is now in, thanks to the dedicated
work of many people and the new owners willing to restore Patrick Clark's
pride and joy in a way he would approve!
History The Irish came to Eastern
Washington in the time period of 1845-1870. Many were important in building
up the economic structure in Spokane. One such gentleman was businessman
and millionaire Patrick "Patsy" Clark. Clark made his fortune in the mining
industry, and came into his own in the late 1800s. He was considered
"a leading figure in Spokane' s social and financial elite class.
The Spokane fire of 1889 destroyed
quite a few mansions, including Clark's. Unfazed, this important Spokane
citizen rebuilt himself a more glorious and elaborate mansion, using the
skills of famed architect Kirkland Kelsey Cutter, who rebuilt most of
the buildings and homes in Spokane, which blessed the city with more beauty
than before.
This new mansion and its furnishings
cost a whopping $13,000,000 dollars, which was a substantial chunk of
money, even by today's standards. Only the very best would do. Both Patsy
Clark and the architect Kirkland Cutter traveled the world looking for
the right materials and furnishings. "Mrs. Clark met her callers in a
room with golden lined chairs and silk curtains. The library rug was said
to have cost $17,000 and the grandfather clock was made in England and
the chandeliers were ordered from Tiffany of New York."
Behind the mansion was the combination
of carriage house and stable, for both carriages and an assortment of
animals. "It housed two Shetland ponies, two Newfoundland dogs and a wicker
basket cart , a driving horse for the two wheel cart, two lighter horses
for the Spider, two heavy horses for the Landau, and a cow. In those days
there was no real dairy, so most of the elite kept their own cow."
Patsy and his wife Mary loved their
new home and lived there until their deaths. Patrick died in 1915 and
Mary passed on in 1926.
The mansion was sold to an investor,
Eugene Enloe. Then the mansion passed through a series of owners which
put the mansion to work so to speak. The mansion at one point was the
Francis Lester Inn, a restaurant and reception/event establishment until
1982. When new owners bought the mansion, they restored the aging building
and opened a high class restaurant, which was closed in May 2002 after
a twenty year run.
MANIFESTATIONS:
Not much is known as to who haunts
the wine cellar and basement. One theory might be that the quality of
wine served wasn't up to the someone's standards, or perhaps it was their
way to gets some chuckles at the expense of the employees.
The old wine cellar located in the
basement was reported to be the play area of three entities, whose antics
were reported by employees of the various restaurants and inn who called
the mansion home.
a) At various times of the day and
night during business operating hours, the living would feel/observe
an unseen presence or two pick up items found in the basement wine cellar,
usually wine bottles, and throw them across the room for chuckles and
perhaps make a statement of protest to startle the employees unlucky
enough to be picked to go down and get the wine.
b) Cold spots were probably felt.
STILL HAUNTED?
Unless they were exorcised, the entities
may still be there, but perhaps a little bored. Renovations and restorations
of old mansions have been known to activate the entities, so more paranormal
activity may be experienced by those who use the mansion now. |
