In 1924, shortly after the arrival of the newly arrived bishop,
Edward Makin Cross, the dream was hatched to put a cathedral on the South Hill to succeed the All Saints Cathedral downtown. Church congregant Harold C. Whitehouse was hired to design it for a vacant plot of land, the former home site of early prominent Spokanite, Francis H. Cook. The location of the cathedral is at an
elevation of approximately above
sea level. Grand Boulevard, which passes diagonally in front of the cathedral as seen in the image above, begins its steep descent into Downtown Spokane directly in front of the cathedral. Its location at the crest of a hill that rises more than 300 feet above downtown makes the cathedral a visible landmark from much of downtown and areas to the north. Touring Europe for design inspiration, Whitehouse eventually settled on using the English Gothic style with some French influences. The first stage of construction, the nave leading to the
high altar was completed in late 1929, allowing for the first Eucharistic services to be held, ten days before the
1929 stock market crash which led to a halt in construction for almost two decades. Construction resumed in 1948, and the chancel, sanctuary, transepts, and Gothic tower were completed by 1954. The first
Dean of the cathedral was Richard Coombs, who relocated to Spokane in 1956 from
Saint Paul's
Episcopal Church in
Salinas, California. ==Features==