Structure Type: built works - public buildings - courthouses

Designers: Baske, Frederick, Building Contractor (firm); Dow, John K., Architect (firm); Frederick K.W. Baske (building contractor); John Kennedy Dow (architect)

Dates: constructed 1896-1897

2 stories

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450 Logan Street
Davenport, WA 99122

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Building History

This courthouse was erected in Davenport, WA, after a rival city, Sprague, that previously held the county seat, burned to the ground on 08/03/1895. Davenport residents had, since the 1880s skirmished with Sprague inhabitants over the seat's location, and it took a disastrous, city-wide fire to settle the matter. The buff-brick, two-story Davenport building continued to function, in 2012, as Lincoln County's administrative center. Frederick K.W. Baske (1862-1927), a Davenport building contractor, erected the courthouse in 1896-1897 for a contracted sum of $12,000. John K. Dow (1861-1961), a long-time Spokane architect, designed it.

Building Notes

The Davenport courthouse had a hybrid character, its entry portico and cupola taken from copy books illustrating au courant Colonial Revival components, while the second floor fenestration suggests an origin in the Richardsonian Romanesque style popular for county courthouses across the US.

Alteration

The Lincoln County Courthouse suffered an arson fire affecting the roof and second floor on 12/21/1995. A careful restoration occurred immediately thereafter, with work being dedicated on 12/20/1996.

PCAD id: 17977