The Lorraine: A Place to Build Community and Promote Culture

The Lorraine Building at 308 W First Ave opened as a hotel in 1909 representing a period of urban growth in Spokane due to mining, timber, and agriculture industries in the Inland Northwest. Over the years, it also operated as apartments and commercial office space. Unlike other nearby hotels, the Lorraine never went through demolition and new construction, two familiar sights of urban landscapes. Spokane recognized the building's historical importance, and it became part of the Spokane Register of Historic Places in 2003.

View to West Along First Avenue, Lorraine Hotel, ca 1923

Entrance at the Lorraine Building

1910 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Spokane, Spokane County, Washington

The Lorraine Building

Since then, the Lorraine has been home to small businesses and is committed to supporting the BIPOC community. Local artist and activist Jacob Johns of the Hopi and Akimel O'odham nations, has his studio in the basement. In 2019, exactly 110 years after the Lorraine opened, the Hispanic Business / Professional Association (HBPA) moved into the building. The move created a new important site for Spokane's Latina/o/x community and sparked a renewed significance for the Lorraine.

Before moving into the building, board member of the HBPA, Larry Valadez, said the organization did not have a physical location and since its founding in 1993 operated from member's living rooms across town. This is reflective of Spokane's Latina/o/x community, whose residents have always lived geographically spread out across the city. It was not until the 1960s that a sense of community started to develop and when the first Latina/o/x community organizations began to form. Since then, organizations like the HBPA have continued to build on that desire for community and to maintain the Latina/o/x culture.

The HBPA hosts or sponsors cultural activities, events, and fundraisers around Spokane. They also have a deep commitment to education and celebrate student's achievements each year. Connecting with the younger generations preserves the importance of culture, helping them feel proud of their heritage. However, having a space in the Lorraine connects the organization to the entire Latina/o/x community in ways they could not before. Community members now have a place to go when they have questions or need help with government documents in English. They can even pick up culturally relevant food at HBPA's food pantry.

Historians research buildings to decipher the hopes, circumstances and traditions of those who built them. However, the HBPA views the Lorraine as a place where they can look to the future. Having a location represents the importance of place and how a building can tie a dispersed community together, helping them feel connected. The Lorraine is where the HBPA can continue promoting the Latina/o/x culture, build hope, create new circumstances, and honor the traditions of their community for many years to come.

References:

(1910) Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Spokane, Spokane County, Washington. Sanborn Map Company, Vol. 4. [Map] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/sanborn09331_011/.

HBPA Spokane (2020, May 5). The HBPA Office where you need to pick up your Graduate and Young Scholar packets [Type of post]. FaceBook. https://www.facebook.com/HBPASPOKANE/
posts/3759681457437777

HBPA Spokane (2021, April 26). Students!! If you identify as Latinx/Hispanic please register to receive your HBPA graduation stole free!  [Type of post]. FaceBook. https://www.facebook.com/HBPASPOKANE/
posts/5421212557951317

Jim Kolva Associates. (2003). Lorraine hotel: Spokane register of historic places nomination. Historic Spokane. https://properties.historicspokane.org/_pdf/properties/property-1865.pdf

Kyvig, D., Maty, M., & Cebula, L. (2019). Nearby history: Exploring the past around you. Rowman & Littlefield.

Lorraine hotel. (n.d.). Spokane City | County Historic Preservation Office. Retrieved June 26, 2021 from https://properties.historicspokane.org/property/?PropertyID=1865

Macalister, M. (2009) [Unpublished oral histories and notes at the MAC archives]. Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture.

Maldonado, C. 1996. Mexicanos in Spokane county: A photographic essay. [Unpublished work] Retrieved from https://dc.ewu.edu/maldonado/54/

McLean, M. (2014). Lorraine building sells; plechner sale pending. Journal of Business, 29(20), 9. https://www.spokanejournal.com/local-news/lorraine-building-sells-plechner-sale-pending/

Scozzaro, C. (2016, November, 3). Native passion. Insider. https://www.inlander.com/spokane/native-passion/Content?oid=2939812