Yet another design of well known Spokane architect Albert Held, the Holley-Mason Building seems to bear testament to the value of reinforced concrete as a structural material. Built in 1905 to withstand the weight of heavy hardware stored in the building, it has withstood not only the weight of the tons of hardware which has passed through over the years, but four fires, to boot. It was, after all, also advertised as being Spokane's first fireproof building (incorrectly, it turns out).
Built for the Holley-Mason Hardware Company, the building was for a short time the property of the well known Marshall Wells Hardware Company when Holley-Mason merged with it. Shortly after Marshall Wells moved out and the building changed hands several times until becoming vacant in the late '60s. Once again the building changed hands when the building went into foreclosure in 2014. It was later bought by a group of investors which included baseball hall-of-famer George Brett. That story, by the Spokane Spokesman-Review, can be read in part below.
Spokane’s Holley Mason Building
sold to investors
Four area investors, including Hall of Fame baseball star George Brett, have purchased the Holley Mason Building in downtown Spokane for $4 million.
The six-story brick landmark at 157 S. Howard St. has been used for commercial offices for the past 35 years. The previous Spokane-based owner, developer Rob Brewster, defaulted on bank loans in 2012 and his lender, Prudential Bank, took over the building.
The new owners, calling themselves Holley Mason-20 LLC, include Spokane sports team owner Bobby Brett, developer Chris Batten and investor John Pariseau.
The Holley Mason is the first real estate investment his famous brother has made in Spokane, Bobby Brett said. George Brett lives in Kansas City, his hometown and where he spent 21 years playing for the Kansas City Royals. His plan is to be a silent partner, said his brother.
Built in 1905, the building is on the national and Spokane registers of historic places. Built with brick walls, concrete floors and concrete supports, the structure was called Spokane’s first fireproof building.
“This building is extremely well-built and was renovated the right way,” said Batten.
Batten said the partners approached C3 Realty, a New York firm that acquired the building after Prudential Bank sold the note to U.S. Bank. C3 Realty reportedly paid over $5 million for the nearly 120,000-square-foot building.
From the Spokane Spokesman-Review