Save the St. Elmo Hotel!
Designed and printed by Swale and Friends of St. Elmo in Palouse, Washington. Screen printed design (black ink) on 100% cotton unbleached flour sack tea towel (27" square, 4-sided hem, w/ hang hook). Bundle of 3 identical tea towels.
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Built in 1888, St. Elmo Hotel quickly became an iconic building on Main Street in Palouse, Washington. This three-story luxury hotel had electricity, hot and cold running water, and (rumor has it) the first elevator in the region. With all of these amenities, it became known as the best hotel between Spokane and Lewiston. With its mansard roof, it is one of the few existing buildings in rural eastern Washington in the Second Empire style.
Over the years, the St. Elmo building had many names and many owners, but one thing stayed the same - it was the heart of downtown Palouse.
Currently the future of the St. Elmo building is unknown.
St. Elmo’s is for sale and in need of extensive (and expensive) repair. In 2020, a core group of locals (Friends of St. Elmo’s) succeeded in getting the iconic building listed as one of Washington’s Most Endangered Places via the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation. With Palouse’s rich history of grassroots efforts and creative problem-solving, Friends of St. Elmo’s continues to explore options and ideas. Recently, the City of Palouse was awarded a $50,000 grant from the Community Economic Revitalization Board (CERB) to facilitate an extensive feasibility study for saving the historic building. The feasibility study is a major breakthrough in efforts to save the building, as it will provide professional and extensive information about possible restoration. The grant required matching funds from the community, and these towels were part of a grassroots fundraising campaign to raise matching funds and promote visibility for the project!
