Did you know? The Hamilton Studio was once the auditorium and gymnasium for the Saint Joseph School and Church. But this wasn't the first school building on this property. A two story wooden building, which was originally behind the church, was moved across Walnut to this location. In 1928, the wooden structure was demolished to make way for the building that sits here today.

The great jazz singer Mildred Bailey went to Saint Joe's, but she was here before the brick building replaced the old wooden structure. 

The original gymnasium was hoped to keep the boys of the Saint Joseph Parish from going downtown. The new brick building was hailed as one of the finest of its kind in the city, and it was dedicated with a chicken dinner in 1928. The dinner was prepared by a team of chefs from the Davenport Hotel, and papers reported that they prepared enough food for a thousand people. The new gymnasium was put to use immediately, and the Saint Joseph basketball team made a big splash in the papers with a 41 to 25 victory over the team sponsored by the Spokane Drug Company.

In the 1980s, Don Hamilton bought the building as well as the house next door, and the two properties are bound together in history. Don has developed a robust fantasy about how the two buildings came to be tied so closely together, literally, as the buildings do touch. But the most important clues for Don are the handrails and concrete work. It’s best if you hear Don tell the story himself in the video! But the handrails and concrete work at the old gym and on the house next door do seem to have an uncanny resemblance.

More recently, Don and his wife, Lorna have been hosting concerts at Hamilton Studio, bringing new life to this historic building.

Find show information online at hamilton.live and you can also find info about Hot Club of Spokane’s Sunday Jazz Nights at Hamilton Studio at www.hotclubofspokane.org 

Special thanks to Don Hamilton and Lorna St. John at Hamilton Studio, as well as the Zonky Jazz Band.