Over the years also known as the Hotel Grand Coulee and Grand Coulee Apartments, the Hotel Upton today advertises itself as the Grand Coulee, referring to Grand Coulee apartments. Built in 1910, this was one of myriad Single Room Occupancy hotels (SRO) built mostly in the first decade of the twentieth century to attempt to accommodate the huge influx of migrant workers to the town. During these years the population of Spokane nearly tripled. As did the majority of the SROs in Spokane, it had retail space on the ground floor and hotel rooms on the (in this case three) upper floors. The hotel was originally built with seven commercial spaces which housed hardware stores, grocery stores, coffee shops, and similar businesses over the years.
The majority of the SROs in Spokane ceased operation as a hotel in the'60s or'70s, renovating their buildings into apartments, or simply leaving the upper floors empty. Originally with 102 units, only 15 of which had baths, at the time of its nomination in 2004 it is stated in the NRHP nomination form that, though the number of rooms with
private baths has increased, most units still rely on the public
facilities. This would imply that the building, at that time at least, still operated as a hotel or a tenement for low income tenants.
Historic Name: Hotel Upton - Contributing
Common Name: Grand Coulee Apartments
Legal Description: Browne's Addition, Block 14, Lot 1 and 2
Date Built: 1910
Architect: Loren L. Rand
This four-story corner brick SRO fronts both West 1 st Avenue and Cedar Street to the north and east, respectively. The ground floor retains the original commercial and retail display spaces, with some slight alterations. Upper floors are lighted by light wells visible through segmentally arched window openings on the south and west elevations. An arched entry flanked by Tuscan columns announces access to the upper floor apartment units on the east elevation. The upper floors feature recessed double-hung wood sash windows in pairs between brick piers (5 facing 1st, 6 facing Cedar) which rest on terra cotta bases and are capped with composite capitals. Terra cotta
lintels with projecting keystones top all windows on both facades. The building terminates in a pressed tin, classical cornice composed of moldings, modillions, and dentils. Iron fire escapes with decorative railings hang from both the primary facades.
From the NRHP Nomination Form