Spokane Home Loan -- Casey Brischle -- Mortgage Professional

Gonzaga University's Bozarth Mansion and Retreat Center, sits on approximately nine acres, was purchased by the University in December 1963. The 23 room mansion and a number of smaller buildings were included in the $85,000 purchase price, as were a number of antique furnishings. Two small brick buildings located near the mansion were removed so that the University could construct a 36 - bed dormitory-style facility (currently with 48 beds), thus making approximately 50 beds (currently 65 beds) available for religious retreats for Gonzaga students. The university purchased the Waikiki Mansion from a group of developers who had acquired the property and surrounding acreage in about 1960 from the estate of Mrs. Charles Marr.

The Bozarth Mansion and Retreat Center was originally known as " Waikiki". The mansion, which was designed by famed architect Kirkland K. Cutter, was constructed at a cost of approximately $100,000 in 1911-1913. The famed Olmstead Brothers of Boston designed the gardens and underground water system and the interiors were by Elsie de Wolfe, America's first well-known decorator.

The home was built for J.P. Graves, whose father, John James Graves, was one of Spokane's early-day mining and railroad tycoons. J.P. Graves was the builder and president of the Inland Empire Traction Lines, one of Spokane's street car companies. However, one of Mr. Graves' principal businesses was his famous, 1,000 acre cattle and dairy ranch, Waikiki, on which the mansion was constructed. Newspaper accounts indicate he purchased the land for his ranch in about 1904. The ranch originally included the land on which Whitworth College is presently located. Graves was also a principal in the Country Homes Development Company, which, commencing in the 1920's, sold home sites in the area.

Waikiki Ranch is said to have had the largest herd of thoroughbred Jersey Cattle in the Pacific Coast region. The dairy was very well known throughout the world and breeding stock were shipped as far away as China.

There are two versions of the origin of the name, " Waikiki". The popular version is that when the Graves family visited Hawaii in 1920, their son was struck by the beauty of the area. He stated that it was the most beautiful place on earth but since the second most beautiful place was the Graves home on the Little Spokane River, he suggested it be called "Waikiki". However, a May 14, 1911, Spokesman-Review­ feature concerning construction of the English Tudor-style mansion refers to Waikiki Ranch, stating it was named by J.P. Graves himself following a trip to Hawaii. The Review article refers to " Waikiki" as an Indian word meaning "lots of rushing water". Since there were 24 natural springs on the farm, the paper continued, Graves thought it an appropriate name.

The same Spokesman-Review article also reported that a construction camp had been established on the property for the 25-100 workmen who were engaged in construction of the mansion. The camp was complete with a bunkhouse, commissary and mess tent.

Waikiki had its own water system, which included a storage system of 100,000 gallons, as well as its own hydro-electric system, which provided all of the electrical requirements. When the University purchased Waikiki, the original water supply system was still operational. However, major leaks were discovered in the old main supply pipes. As a consequence, the University converted to the Whitworth Water District supply.

It was reported that Graves wanted the mansion to have a joyous atmosphere, which influenced the Cutter design. The house has beautiful oak and maple floors, oak wall paneling throughout and handsome molded-plaster ceilings. When constructed, it had a commanding view of the Little Spokane River and the valley below. The one-piece carved alabaster light fixture is of exceptional size; leaded glass is found throughout. The huge fireplace features a carved dolphin splashing water into a basin in which pine trees grow - intended to help capture the "fun" Mr. Graves wanted in his mansion.

The original ornate wood and stone entrance to Waikiki, which is still located at Waikiki and Mill, is now the entrance to the Fairwood housing development. When the University acquired the mansion, one entered through the gate and traveled about a half-mile along the narrow road, which meandered through a rather heavily wooded area.

The Graves entertained many of the nation's financial leaders and even royalty. Prince Albert, later King Albert of Belgium, who had mining investments in the region, was a visitor as was James Hill of Great Northern fame.

In 1936, the mansion and remaining ranch property was sold to Mr. & Mrs. Charles E. Marr for $175,000. The Graves, who apparently also owned a home on Upper Terrace on Spokane's South Hill, moved to Pasadena, California.

In 1983, Waikiki was renamed the Bozarth Mansion and Retreat Center in honor of Horace and Christine Bozarth who gave a substantial gift to renovate the mansion.** Mr. Bozarth, a former member of the University's Board of Regents, was a successful businessman and wheat rancher from Mansfield, Washington.

The Bozarth facility is heavily used, and greatly respected by hundreds of University students who come on weekends throughout the academic year. It is also used extensively for weddings, business conferences, and various school functions.

I know this is 2 days late, but our Spokane Mayor, Mary Verner, proclaimed this week "Paint the Town Orange Week" in Honor of the Spokane Shock and in celebration of the af2 2008 Playoffs. Majority owner and CEO of the Spokane Shock, Brady Nelson, along with Shock Fullback, Katon Bethay, represented the Shock at the ceremony. Spokane citizens and fans alike are encouraged to show their support for the Shock by wearing Shock paraphernalia and displaying well wishes on reader board's throughout the business community. Last Thursday, GO SHOCK cards were inserted into 30,000 copies of the Spokesman-Review for fans to display their Shock pride in their homes, or cars. Since the Spokane Shock's induction into the af2 in 2006 as an expansion team, the Shock have had three successful seasons. In 2006, the Shock won the ArenaCup Championship, and in 2007 were the Western Division Champions. The Shock finished the regular 2008 season with the best record in the league (15-1), the best record in franchise history, and head into the playoffs on August 2, with home field advantage. Over the past three years, the Shock has gained an overwhelming amount of support from the Spokane Community, averaging 10,275 attendants at each home game and hosting a sold out crowd at all eight of the 2008 home games.

Also the Shock take the number 1 seed into the playoffs and face the eigth seeded Austin Wranglers THIS WEEKEND!! TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW!! They can be purchased by contacting TicketsWest at 325-SEAT. Seats are available in the lower level in nearly every price category.

!!!GO SHOCK!!!

I stumbled across this blog on acceident one day. After reading it for about 5 minutes, I immediately saved the link to My Favorites and currently access it daily. This blog is one of the most thorough eco-friendly blogs I have read...and the best thing??? It is in our own backyard! Bart Mihailovich and Paul Dillon are EWU grads and are journalists for the Spokesman Review! I may be a little too excited about this, but I wanted to share this find with you guys. I hope you find it as awesome as I haveand access it daily. http://dte.spokesmanreview.com/

Below is an excerpt out of their daily blog from today. It seems that we have some real changes happening in Spokane coming July 1st! I for one am really happy to see Spokane take the lead in an environmentally conscious topic.

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It is being called the strictest phosphate regulation in the nation. Starting July 1 in Spokane County, it will be illegal for stores to sell dishwashing detergent containing 0.5% phosphorous or more by weight.
The July 1 deadline was created by the state Legislature in 2006 and was to include Spokane, Whatcom and Clark counties. Governor Gregoire removed Clark County earlier this year and allowed Whatcom County stores to sell detergent tablets with phosphates. The entire will state will follow the requirement starting in 2010.

Spokane, however, is out front and all by its self as this July 1 date approaches. A major break came earlier this month when Palmolive beat all other brands to the market with a detergent that complies with the regulation. Palmolive Eco liquid detergent will dominate shelves starting July 1 as it is the only brand who has stepped up with a reduced phosphorous product.

Immediacy of the regulation comes from the dangerously high amount of algae in the Spokane River and Lake Spokane. Algae thrives in conditions of high phosphate levels as phosphorous is "nutrient" pollution for water plants - acting like fertilizer, stimulating the growth of aquatic plants. When these plants die, their decomposition uses up the oxygen in the water thus taking precious oxygen from fish populations and causing a threat.

The biggest hurdle ahead will be public awareness for this mandate. The Department of Ecology's Jani Gilbert responded to DTE's request about the issue with a very detailed communications plan; a plan that includes education of the citizens of Spokane, local retailers and distributors, and local media. Steps being taken include the city putting an article in their "One Man's Trash" newsletter and doing a feature on Channel 5. The County also will run ad(s) in the Spokesman-Review Voices editions in June. The Department of Ecology has dedicated numerous resources and an entire section of their website to the issue - a wonderful resource.

As always, check back with DTE for continuing coverage of this issue.

Despite the current market turmoil, community banks are in solid shape: They have plenty of liquidity, sensible underwriting standards, and are ready to lend - factors essential to keeping your community strong and families secure in their homes. For the most part community lenders did not create nor contribute to the subprime mortgage crisis.

With all the doom and gloom that you hear in the media about lending and the changes to lending guidelines I recommend looking at one of your local banks. Obviously I may be a little biased, but these banks for the most part offer all the products that brokerages and big banks offer, but do it a little different. The upfront hard costs are usually lower, and many (like the Bank of Whitman) do all their own underwriting locally, which saves time and money. We don't send your personal information across the country to an underwriter that we don't know to have them UW the loan while waiting 3 or more days to hear anything back. We are always in constant communication from intiial application, to processing and underwriting to closing. I love community banks, always available and always dependable. Lending with a personal touch.

I have always enjoyed helping people. From childhood through college I have participated and led many retreats and organizations designed to help individuals, families, and even companies from all walks of life. After graduating with a marketing and finance degree from Gonzaga I took a job with a startup technology company in town. Although I enjoyed developing it into one of the leaders in its industry within a short period of time, I was unfulfilled. I knew for my next profession that I wanted it to be a long lasting fulfilling career, so I turned inward and asked myself what I really liked. Three things popped up. People. Numbers. Helping people...and here I am today. :) I have found being a Mortgage Loan Officer satisfies all three of these wants and I am totally fulfilled. Why do I love this job so much?

•·I love to see the excitement on my client's faces when they find out they can afford the home of their dreams.

•·When I take the time to educate my clients on their loan I love to see the "light" come as they fully grasp what goes into financing their home.

•·I love communicating with clients through every step of the process.

•·I love helping them with credit issues and removing them from junk mail lists.

•·I love to be upfront, honest and fair and expect the same in return.

•·I love getting my clients the best deal possible and beating my competition.

•· I love going the extra mile to help a client any way I can.

Why do I love all this you may ask? There are three answers to this. I love people, I love numbers, but most importantly I love helping people. What better way to do that then to help attain the American Dream and buy a home.

If you are thinking of buying your next home, or refinancing your existing one, give me a call.
509-230-4537
You won't regret it.