Built in 1910 for businessman Hiram H. Hutton, the Saranac Hotel is historically significant for its use as a single occupancy hotel and its association with the Japanese American community in Spokane. At the turn of the century, Spokane was establishing itself as a hub for various industries. As new jobs became available in abundance, migrant laborers began flooding into Spokane in search of work opportunities. Still recovering from the Great Fire of 1889, the city was ill-equipped to accommodate the sudden population boom, sparking a devastating housing crisis. Soon, affordable SRO hotels, such as the Saranac, began dominating downtown spaces, alleviating the city of its crushing housing crisis and offering temporary shelter to Spokane’s new migrant workers. Located a couple blocks outside of Spokane’s Chinatown, the Saranac Hotel’s first floor commercial spaces once housed several Japanese-American owned businesses before and after WWII. In 1947, Hutton sold the Saranac to Norbou Hayashi, and was one of several Japanese-American owned businesses in the area post WWII. Hayashi owned and operated the Saranac until 1986 when he sold the property to Spokane County Commissioner, Skip Chilberg.

The Saranac is is a contributing property in the East Downtown Historic District and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on 8/29/2003. Nearly three years later, the property was listed on the Spokane Register on 7/10/2006. 

Management Agreement