The house wasn’t what Donna Punihaole imagined she’d fall in love with. She had pictured a two-story Craftsman with a wide front porch. The 1.5-story bungalow on West 14th Avenue checked neither box. And yet, the moment she stepped inside, she knew.
As she prepared to retire after 27 years in the U.S. Army, Punihaole had decided exactly where she wanted to land. “I was stationed here in the ’90s, and I rented an old bungalow way up at the top of South Hill by the golf course. And I just fell in love with Spokane. I loved the community here.” After retiring in 2011, she returned to Spokane and began her house hunt in earnest.
She loved the South Hill location. “I loved the parks, the walkability. So it was like, ‘OK, I’m going to do this.'”
Though she may not have been wowed by the exterior, the interior was love at first sight. The bones, as they say, were good, and much of the house’s original character remained intact. She immediately noticed the unpainted gumwood trim, the original windows and storm windows, and the distinctive box-bay windows. What truly stopped her, though, were the fireplace tiles: a horizontal Claycraft “Woodland Scene” tile and two vertical Muresque tiles depicting Multnomah Falls and Oneonta Gorge along the Columbia River near Portland. The rest of the house would grow on her as she began lovingly restoring it, one project at a time.
Hunting for History
After moving into the house on West 14th Avenue, Punihaole grew curious about the home’s past. She turned to the Spokane Public Library and the Spokane Historic Preservation website, both invaluable resources. In 2022, she decided to dig deeper — with the goal of eventually nominating the home to the Spokane Register of Historic Places — and hired historic preservation consultant Linda Yeomans to conduct in-depth research.
In 1909, Fred R. Wright, who worked as a registered patent attorney, bought a lot on the lower South Hill. It wasn’t until late 1912 that he commissioned Spokane building contractor F.E. Martin to construct the house there at a cost of $3,000. The home was completed in 1913, while the garage was built in 1915.
Gary Reiss photo
The kitchen features an ornate light fixture owner Donna Punihaole brought with her from South Carolina.
Uncovering the home’s history reinforced for Punihaole the importance of preserving its original architectural details and respecting its layout. Whenever possible, she reused salvaged materials from the house itself; when that wasn’t an option, she sought out period-appropriate pieces to match its character. Along the way, she made a few discoveries, including old papers tucked between the walls, hinting at lives once lived. But her favorite find was the stash of surplus original kitchen linoleum, carefully rolled and stored in the attic. She framed a piece, and it now hangs proudly on her kitchen wall. “I couldn’t identify it,” Punihaole said, “but I love the pattern. If this was still on the floor I would have left it.” Instead, she worked with Caruso’s Floors to update the kitchen floor with Marmoleum for a vintage look.
“I had a strong vision for what I wanted.”
Punihaole discovered that a 1948 remodel had altered key architectural details, most notably, reducing the size of the front porch and enclosing the once-overhanging eaves. In 2023-24, she partnered with Authentic Restoration Services to bring back the home’s original Craftsman character, reinstating the low-pitched roofline with its signature exposed rafters and its broad, unenclosed eaves.
She also completed a thoughtful restoration of the main floor bathroom, a project she envisioned early on. In 2012, she began collecting materials while gradually saving for the labor. “I had a strong vision for what I wanted,” she says. The 1959 American Standard bathtub came from Brown Building Materials and cost just $250, while the window above the tub was another bargain from Brown, at just $25.
“Oh, how I miss Brown Building Materials! My bathroom tub and windows, the nickel-plated hooks, and numerous other items were such great finds!” Her sister gifted her an old inset medicine cabinet they had discovered at an antique store in Portland. She added character with a nickel-plated Victorian radiator grate repurposed as a ceiling fan cover, and hung an antique mirror over the sink. The finished room, she admits with a smile, is uniquely hers — a mix of Craftsman, Art Deco and Victorian styles. One day, she hopes to add a second full bath upstairs.
Past and Future
A chance encounter gave Punihaole a glimpse into the home’s more recent history when a past owner of the house and her son stopped by and shared stories about the home and the neighborhood. She asked them if they would like to tour the house. “As we went through the rooms it was such joy to hear their memories while living there. The son had his family with him, and it was touching to hear him share his memories with his family… which room he shared with his brother as a kid, (his excitement) that the laundry chute and cat door were still in place as well as seeing that his dad’s workbench was still in the basement,” says Punihaole.
While the home’s layout remains much as it was in 1913, Punihaole has turned the upstairs bedroom into a cozy TV room and transformed the old coal-room into a wine cellar. As a first-time homeowner who’s also the City at Large representative for the Spokane Historic Landmarks Commission, she’s come to understand the deep responsibility of caring not just for a house, but for its history. Ongoing maintenance is part of that commitment, and she sees herself as one link in a long chain of stewards for her home, which was added to Spokane’s Historic Register in September 2024. With gratitude for those who came before and care for those who will come after, Punihaole tends to her home with intention — preserving its past while quietly shaping its future.
Candace Rowe is on the board of the Spokane Preservation Advocates. If you love old homes or historic architecture, please go to spokanepreservation.org or find them on social media to join like-minded people in celebrating Spokane’s rich architectural history.
SOURCES
Fireplace Tiles
Though not original to the house, the fireplace tiles were so unusual that Donna Punihaole enlisted the help of Tile Heritage Foundation to research them. They identified the 4 inch x 16 inch horizontal tile as Claycraft (1921 – 1926) No. 1023, “Woodland Scene” The two, flanking 4 inch x 12 inch tiles are Muresque Tiles from Oakland (1925 – 1935).
Both of these tiles reflect scenes along the Oregon side of the Columbia River east of Portland, including Multnomah Falls and its iconic bridge. The surrounding field tiles could be Batchelder, Claycraft, or Muresque, as all three companies made tiles that looked like this. The installation itself would have most likely been in the late ’20s or early ’30s as this was when Muresque tiles reached distributors in the Northwest.
Lighting
The sconces over the fireplace were the only period light fixtures in the home. Punihaole had acquired two antique light fixtures in South Carolina that she placed in the kitchen and hallway. The majority of the other period fixtures were purchased from Spokane’s Revival Lighting.
Eaves and Bathroom Reno
Authentic Restoration Services completed these projects. “Brian Westmoreland and his team were a pleasure to work with. The quality and craftsmanship of their work on my two projects were unsurpassed,” says Punihaole.
— CANDACE ROWE
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