The 1909  Briggs Apartments in Spokane is a historically significant property that reflects the city’s early 20th-century growth and architectural ambition. Eligible for the Spokane Register under Categories A and C, the building is tied to the rapid population boom between 1900 and 1910, when demand for quality housing surged in the Central Business District. Designed by architect J.C. Poetz, the structure’s partially realized form and stripped-down Italianate detailing reveal both the optimism of Spokane’s apartment-building boom and the economic slowdown that followed. Unlike the era’s common SRO hotels, the Briggs offered 36 modern, multi-room apartments—each with a private kitchen and bathroom, living and dining spaces, built-in “disappearing beds,” and even dumbwaiters. Notably, it was also the first building in Spokane to feature a smokeless boiler. Poetz, who also partnered with Kirkland Cutter, contributed to several prominent regional landmarks, including the Exchange National Bank and projects connected to the Chicago World’s Fair, further cementing the Briggs Apartments as a meaningful piece of Spokane’s architectural and cultural history.

Management Agreement