The Sillman Hotel was built in 1910 by the Sillman Brothers.

It was a five-story brick construction (125 rooms and 8 apartments) on the Southwest corner of Third and Monroe in Spokane, Washington.

The ground floor had a large dining room, The Monkey Room (a Pre-Tiki Tropical Bar), and a cafe, as well as a barber shop and lobby.

The Monkey Room was aptly named for the caged gibbons kept on display.

Old timers like to mention that customers entered the bar laughing and pointing at the monkeys and later, the monkeys would laugh and point at the drunken customers on their way out.

Sold in 1945 to Thomas F. Bowers, who sold it a few years later in 1950 to the Cardinal Investment Company.

In 1964, it was purchased by James P. Purvis. Purvis changed the name of The Monkey Room to the "Tahitian Dining Room".

At some point after this, the hotel was demolished. Today in 2022 it is a parking lot used by the Lexus dealer across the street on the North side.

Details

Type

Hotel Bar

Address

Spokane, Washington, United States

Closed?

Yes (Permanently)