Seattle attorney firm purchases Spokane’s Glover Mansion

A Seattle law firm has purchased the home of Spokane’s founder, James N. Glover, and plans to transition the Glover Mansion from an events-and-wedding venue to a full-time law office.

John R. “Jack” Connelly, principal of the 19-lawyer Connelly Law Offices, said Friday that his firm had been searching for a venue in Spokane that would complement its current offices in Seattle and Tacoma.

“We wanted an office that fits what we like to do and how we represent ourselves,” Connelly said.

The Glover Mansion was designed by famed architect Kirtland Cutter for Glover, who founded Spokane in 1873. The 15,000-square-foot Tudor Revival mansion, which features 22 rooms, had been owned by Bob Adolfson, who primarily rented it out for events and weddings.

Connelly said he and his team approached Adolfson, who has events scheduled through October. They agreed on a deal and the law firm purchased the mansion at 321 W. Eighth Ave. for $1.9 million. The deal closed on Jan. 29, Connelly said.

“Our thought was get the building and continue to use it for some weddings and events,” Connelly said. “We didn’t want to go to some young couple and say we are taking your venue away.

“From time to time, we do events. This building is perfect for meetings and political events and things of those type.”

The firm will convert the third floor to law offices before eventually converting most of the space for legal work.

Built in 1888, the Glover Mansion was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 and was entered into the Spokane Register of Historic Places in 1995.

The venue will add to the mystique of the firm, which also has offices in the top of Seattle’s Smith Tower, which once held the claim of being the tallest building west of the Mississippi River.

The law firm also has an office in Old Town Tacoma in what had been known as Carr’s Hall. It was built in 1890 by Anthony Carr, the brother of Tacoma settler Job Carr, and had various uses.

In 1983, the building was remodeled and became Grazie’s Italian Restaurant. Jack Connelly purchased the building for law offices in 2006.

“We had been looking for an office in Spokane for a while,” he said.

The law firm specializes in personal injury, civil rights, medical malpractice, wrongful death and government liability work, Connelly said.

“It’s a good and varied practice, and it tends to be the larger cases,” Connelly said.

In addition to the law firm Connelly is an owner of the Tacoma Rainiers baseball team and owns the Highlands Golf Course in Tacoma. He also serves on the advisory board of the Gonzaga University School of Law.