The Historic Montvale

Originally built in 1899 as a Single Room Occupancy (SRO) Hotel, the Montvale served Spokane as an apartment building, a brothel, and a youth hostel during Expo ’74, and then it was abandoned for 30 years. 

As an SRO, each tenant had his/her own room as a measure of privacy. The Single Resident Occupancy or SRO system was a common form of living for the many working class laborers in Spokane.

Judge John W. Binkley built the three-story red brick building now known as the Montvale. It was named it after “Montvale Farms,” his country estate on the Little Spokane River. Binkley (1856-1931) served as a probate judge for Spokane County in 1885 and 1886. He had an active law practice, specializing in commercial and financial law, but came to concentrate more on his banking interests.

When built, the Montvale offered street-level commercial space with 30 residential rooms on each of the two upper floors. On each floor, the Montvale had men’s and women’s common washrooms that held two toilets and one bathtub. The washrooms were shared by the residents on each floor. Steam-heat was provided to each room via coal-powered steamers in the basement. By 1914, all residential rooms offered washbasins with hot and cold running water, built-in wardrobe closets, and each room was furnished.

Room rates for typical turn-of-the-century SROs were advertised at $1 to $2 per week, or $5 a month.

There were six street-level commercial bays in the Montvale, and over the years the bays housed various service and mercantile enterprises, but the largest and longest-standing tenant was Kilmer and Sons Hardware. Over time, the hardware store used the building’s basement for storage, and later, used the space as an emergency ammunition supply room during World War II.