Moving History Forward: The Desert Hotel: A Coeur d’Alene Landmark, 1905-1972
Editor's note: Originally printed in the Kootenai Chronicles series, Coeur d'Alene Press, December 1994.
In 1905, a group of local businessmen, including Fredrick Blackwell, created the Coeur d’Alene Investment Company and built a modern hotel on the corner of First and Sherman near the then new electric railroad depot and Blackwell Park. It was designed to look like an old Spanish mission. The new facility, which was called the Hotel Idaho, soon became one of the most popular hotels in the area. According to the July 16, 1906, issue of the Coeur d’Alene Press, “well-informed travelers say it is the best equipped hotel in Northern Idaho, if not the whole state.”
The Hotel Idaho had 100 rooms with local and long-distance telephone service. The hotel also featured a dining room and lounge called the Idaho Grill, plus spacious meeting facilities and a swimming pool. The hotel parlors and balcony offered a spectacular view of Lake Coeur d’Alene. The Hotel Idaho began to draw major conventions to Coeur d’Alene. For over 60 years the hotel was the business and social center for Coeur d’Alene.
In 1924, the Hotel Idaho was sold to Victor Desert of Spokane for a reported $100,000. Desert, who also owned the Desert Hotel in Spokane, changed the name to the Desert Hotel of Coeur d’Alene. In 1964, a local organization known as the 109 Corporation, which was officially owned by the Athletic Round Table, purchased the hotel from the Desert Hotel Corporation. In 1967 H. F. Magnuson of Wallace purchased the hotel from the 109 Corporation.
The exterior of the hotel remained basically unchanged except for the elimination of the arched balcony/entrance and the archway entrance into the parking area. The interior went through several remodels, including a major renovation of the Athletic Round Table lounge and dining room in 1967.
On Sunday night, June 25, 1972, the Desert Motor Motel, as well as meeting rooms and offices in the building were destroyed by fire. H. F. Magnuson, who owned the 67-year-old building, estimated the loss to be over $600,000. None of the guests or employees in the hotel were injured in the fire.
Coeur d’Alene Fire Chief Joe Turk stated that the fire started in the northeast corner of the basement and spread through the air-conditioning to the rest of the building. More than 40 firemen with five trucks battled the blaze for nearly nine hours. The Coeur d'Alene Police Department reported that over 2,000 people were in the area watching from cars or walking near the hotel.
