Harold C. Whitehouse papers, 1909-1972

Harold C. Whitehouse was an architect based in Spokane, Washington. He was born January 31, 1884 in Somerville, Massachusetts, and moved to Spokane in 1907. He had worked as a draftsman in Boston, but had no formal architectural training. In 1908, he formed an architectural firm with partner George Keith and married Catherine Cox Weston. He soon established himself in the community and became active in the All Saints Episcopal Church. Bishop Wells quickly approached Whitehouse with the idea of building a cathedral. Whitehouse became so committed to the inspiration for a cathedral that he left Spokane in 1911 and entered the architectural program at Cornell, where he completed the program in two years. In 1913, he returned to Spokane and formed a partnership with Ernest Price, another Cornell graduate, with whom he remained partners until Price's retirement in 1964. Whitehouse and Price designed over 2400 commissions throughout the Northwest. In addition to the churches, they designed schools, government buildings, homes and businesses including buildings on the campuses of the University of Idaho, the University of Washington, Washington State University and Whitworth. Whitehouse died at age 90 in Spokane.