The Wakefield House in Spokane, Washington, is thought to be the first Mission Revival House in the Northwest.

Built in 1898, it was designed by Kirtland Cutter, an architect responsible for designing some of Spokane’s most well-known landmarks, such as the Davenport Hotel, Monroe Street Bridge, Spokane Club and the Patsy Clark Mansion.

W.J.C. Wakefield was the attorney for John Finch and Amasa Campbell, playing a major role in their success as mine owners and capitalists.

When Cutter built the prize-winning Idaho Building at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893, a powerful, rustic structure of vast logs and basalt rock, he saw the California Building which launched the Mission Revival style. Although this style was rooted in the Southwest, Cutter could not resist experimenting with it.

While the California missions were heavy and earthbound, the Wakefield house expresses a light and playful character.