Kootenai Inn facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Kootenai Inn
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The Kootenai Inn in 1978
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| Location | 130 N. 9th Street St. Maries, Idaho |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1910 |
| Architect | Barker, D.J. |
| Architectural style | Tudor Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 79000774 |
| Added to NRHP | November 16, 1979 |
The Kootenai Inn was a special building located in St. Maries, Idaho. It was recognized for its history and added to the National Register of Historic Places. This list includes important places across the United States.
Contents
A Historic Hotel in St. Maries
The Kootenai Inn was a large building with four stories. It had a wide porch and its upper walls were decorated with a style called Tudor Revival. This style often uses wood beams on the outside walls.
Why Was the Kootenai Inn Built?
The Kootenai Inn was built in 1910 by a big company called the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad. This railroad needed a place for its passengers to stay. It also provided housing for its workers in the area. St. Maries was an important town for the railroad at that time.
A Time of Change and Decline
For a while, the Kootenai Inn was a busy place. But things changed in St. Maries. The forests had less timber to cut, and there were fewer minerals to mine. Many people who worked in these industries started to leave the town.
Then, World War II began. More people moved away to help with the war effort. Because of this, the number of people living in St. Maries was cut in half. With fewer people, the Kootenai Inn became less popular. It started to fall into disrepair.
By 1979, the building was empty and in very poor condition. It was even considered for demolition, which means it might have been torn down.
Saving the Kootenai Inn
Luckily, the story of the Kootenai Inn did not end there. In March 1980, two couples decided to buy the old inn. They wanted to save it and bring it back to life.
They started a big project to restore the building. To help with this, they used materials from another old hotel called the St. Maries. It is thought that the same builder might have constructed both hotels. This made it easier to find matching parts for the restoration.
The Kootenai Inn is a great example of how old buildings can be saved. It shows how important it is to remember the history of a town.
