The Metropole has turned out to be somewhat of an anomaly in downtown Spokane as, unlike the majority of its peers, it has experienced few changes in both ownership and tenant-ship. Built in 1901, at the time of Spokane's greatest period of growth, the building has served as apartments continuously since its construction, under a small handful of owners. The ground floor businesses, similarly, have remained in place for comparatively lengthy stretches; a barber shop, for example occupied the same space for over seven decades.
Though it's possible the Metropole apartments may be closed today, in 2007 the Spokane Spokesman-Review ran an article on the venerable old building, still essentially original and at that time still providing lodging for the downtown working class of Spokane. The beginning of that article may be read below.
Original Metropole
Unlike other historic buildings that have been renovated into new uses in downtown Spokane, the historic Metropole Apartment Building at Second Avenue and Howard Street is going to be maintained in its original character as an apartment house of downtown wage earners and street-level shops for small businesses.
“I like it. It’s beautiful,” said Brenda Maki, owner and hair stylist at Ruby Salon Howard Street below the apartments. She opened her business in the Metropole building last June.
Inside, the brick walls and hardwood floors provide a comfortable atmosphere for clients, but the best part may be the price, she said. Maki got into the shop for $1,000 a month, an amount she considered affordable for a downtown location.
Upstairs, the one-bedroom and studio apartments rent for as low as $500 a month.
The Spokane City Council on Dec. 17 approved listing the Metropole on the Spokane Register of Historic Places. The vernacular brick building also is part of the East Downtown National Historic District.
“It’s a needed niche” for wage earners and small shops, said Jim Kolva, who wrote the historic nomination for the building.
The Metropole, which housed the Cozy Inn Tavern for more than 70 years, was built in stages beginning in 1899, and in its day was considered one of the finer apartment buildings for middle-income workers for a booming city in the early 1900s.
Today’s owner has chosen to maintain the working class character of the building rather than turn the apartments into pricey condomiums.
From the Spokane Spokesman-Review