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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883
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Then and Now: Bozarth Mansion and Retreat Center

Present day: The Bozarth Mansion and Retreat Center, near the Little Spokane River in north Spokane, survives as a retreat center for Gonzaga University and it is used extensively for weddings, social events, business retreats and university events throughout the year. The 1913 mansion was built by pioneer businessman Jay P. Graves and was designed for entertaining with its generous proportions and opulent interior. (Jesse Tinsley/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW)
Present day: The Bozarth Mansion and Retreat Center, near the Little Spokane River in north Spokane, survives as a retreat center for Gonzaga University and it is used extensively for weddings, social events, business retreats and university events throughout the year. The 1913 mansion was built by pioneer businessman Jay P. Graves and was designed for entertaining with its generous proportions and opulent interior. (Jesse Tinsley/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW)
By Jesse Tinsley jesset@spokesman.com(509) 459-5378

Spokane’s first generation of successful business leaders left behind a handful of spectacular private homes, such as those owned by Patsy Clark Amasa Campbell and Daniel Corbin.

Businessman Jay P. Graves, who came to Spokane in 1887 from Illinois, built a successful real estate business, was hard hit in the financial panic in the 1890s, then rebuilt from there by investing in mining, railroads and streetcars.

While Graves built his business empire, he bought more than 3,000 acres in north Spokane and built a farm there where he raised livestock, both cattle and horses. The farm he called “Waikiki” was on the hillside above the Little Spokane River, where he built a Kirtland Cutter-designed home in Tudor style as a refuge from his business life in the city. The house was completed in 1913.

Aside from his business interests, Graves is also credited with bringing Whitworth College to Spokane.

Despite his wealth, Graves was forced to sell off many of his holdings, including Waikiki in 1937, as the streetcar business and railroads declined. The Graves family moved to California and he died there in 1948.

Spokane grocery magnate C.E. Marr, who became wealthy after he built up a chain of several hundred grocery stores, then sold them to the new Safeway chain in 1933, bought the Waikiki mansion from Graves in 1937.

Though Marr died in 1946, the Marr family continued living there for many years. When Marr’s wife Lorraine died in 1962, their children didn’t want to keep the estate and it was sold to developers. The new owners separated much of the surrounding land into parcels for residential and commercial development in the area known as Fairwood.

Gonzaga University bought the mansion and surrounding 8 acres for a retreat center in 1963 for $85,000. Dormitory-style buildings were added as amenities for retreat attendees.

The property was renamed the Bozarth Mansion and Retreat Center after donors Horace and Christine Bozarth, whose donation helped buy the property back from the Oregon Province of the Society of Jesus, which had taken possession after trading for it with other properties close to the university.

Today, the Bozarth Mansion is a busy event center, hosting weddings, retreats and college gatherings.