Amman_(Spokane,_Washington)

Amman (Spokane, Washington)

Amman (Spokane, Washington)

United States historic place

Amman or Ammann,[2] in the Browne's Addition neighborhood of Spokane, Washington is a building constructed in 1904.[1] It was designed by architect Albert Held.[1] The building was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1987.[1] Although the National Register of Historic Places list the property under the name Amman the Spokane Register of Historic Places lists the building as Ammann.[3]

Quick Facts Location, Coordinates ...

As of 2022, the building is known as The Dormitory and home to a mix of retail and office space surrounding the central common area on the first and second stories.[4] Retail on the first floor, as of 2022 includes a coffee shop and roaster,[5] and a bakery and cheese shop.[6]

History

In August 1903, the lot Amman stands on was sold to Caroline Ammann by the Northwestern and Pacific Hypotheekbank.[1][7] Construction began by March 1904, when Apartment units in the building were advertised in the local paper, The Spokesman-Review.[1] The building was used as housing until 1985, when it underwent a National Park Service certified rehabilitation turning the apartments into office space.[1] The renovation was done by Wells & Company, a company specializing in certified renovations of old and historic buildings.[8] The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places as part of a thematic group containing San Marco, Breslin and Knickerbocker Apartment Buildings.[1][9]

Description

The two-story building sits on a tree lined street in Browne's Addition, the neighborhood has a uniquely residential feel considering its proximity to the city center.[2] The lot to the west of the building is used for parking.[1] Due to its location, the building offers views of the Spokane River.[1] Of the buildings in the thematic group, the Amman Apartments had the simplest design, with a square footprint rather than the U, H and L shapes of the other apartment buildings built by Held.[1][2] The building design can most easily be described as classical.[1] The apartment units had clear delineation of living and entertainment spaces by use of narrow hallways in order to separate the design from common "railroad" plans.[1] Another unique feature is that all rooms had an exterior view, instead of the common light court of the era.[1] The common hallway features a large curved stairway and access to the balcony above the portico on the second story.[1]


  • Detail view of the main entrance
  • Staircase to second story
  • Second story showing parallel staircases

References

  1. [1]
    Nancy Gale Compau and Leonard T. Garfield (July 20, 1986). "National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation: Apartment Buildings by Albert Held Thematic Group".
  2. [2]
    "Historic Spokane". properties.historicspokane.org. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  3. [3]
    "Spokane Register of Historic Places Nomination - Ammann Apartments" (PDF). Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  4. [4]
    "The Dormitory". selkirkdev.com. Selkirk Development. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
  5. [5]
    Mulligan, Michaela (29 November 2018). "Ladder Coffee serves house-roasted coffee and handcrafted toast at its new Spokane shop". The Inlander. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
  6. [6]
    Richards, Destiny (21 October 2020). "Rind And Wheat: New specialty bakery and cheese shop opens in downtown Spokane". KXLY-TV. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
  7. [7]
    "Real Estate Transfers". The Spokesman-Review. 7 August 1903. p. 12. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  8. [8]
    "1516 West Riverside (Amman Apartments)". Wells & Company. Archived from the original on 16 April 2017. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  9. [9]
    "Apartment Spotlight: The Breslin Apartments". NAI Global. Archived from the original on 4 May 2016. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
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