Saving St. Ignatius Hospital

A turn-of-the-century hospital, tucked away and abandoned in a rural town. Would you save it if you could?

Saint Ignatius Hospital was designed and built by fearless nun and architect, Mother Joseph. Completed in 1893, the hospital continued for decades until it was eventually decommissioned in 1968. The building continued to be used as a home for elderly and mentally disabled adults, until 2003, when it was finally abandoned.

Nearly 20 years of neglect have brought St. Ignatius dangerously close to ruin. The hospital has been on Washington state’s “Most Endangered” historic buildings list since 2015. A massive hole in the west side of the roof has caused four floors to notably sag. It’s difficult to tell how close we are to the “point of no return”— major structural failure which would put the building beyond reasonable repair. We need to raise the sagging floors and replace the roof soon in order to preserve the building.

St. Ignatius needs your help

And so do we! We’re Austin and Laura Storm, and small business and historic preservation is our catnip. We currently run two independent secondhand stores—one in Moscow, Idaho, and one in Colfax, Washington. Plus we’ve got plans for a bookstore, a downtown hotel, a bar…the list goes on! But St. Ignatius Hospital trumps all those. It’s the white whale, the pearl of great price, the cherry on top, the thing that makes us mix our metaphors.

Now, we’re embarking on a quest larger than any we’ve yet attempted—to preserve and restore the St. Ignatius Hospital. This is an immense project, and it will literally take a village. The Whitman County Historical Society has approved the preservation of St. Ignatius as a sponsored project; we have a partnership with the Colfax Chamber who runs haunted and historic hospital tours; and thanks to all of you, an army of heartfelt volunteers and enthusiastic old-building fanatics! Together we can save St. Ignatius!

Long-term goal

St. Ignatius began as a place for others, and we want to restore it to that again. We would love to see it shine as a historic event venue and hotel, with space for artist retreats, maker classes, food & drink, small businesses, and more. It’ll be a long, wonderful haul to bring it back!

Current goals

Right now, we have two key challenges:

1. Retire the mortgage. We have a short-term mortgage of $50,000 which is coming due soon. Once this is paid off, it will free up funds every month to continue to do vital repairs.
2. Roof and structural rescue. This poor old building needs time to dry out with a proper roof, but every spring, fall, and winter, it just gets hit with more rain, sleet, and snow. It’s wearing the structure down, and it’s unlikely that the hospital can withstand many more wet seasons without significant repairs.

We realize those are both big goals, so we’re very thankful to share that an anonymous donor has pledged a generous “matching gift” of up to $50,000 for the preservation of St. Ignatius. This means that every dollar you donate during this campaign will be doubled, up to $50,000!

Come join the St. Ignatius effort

1. DONATE to our roof and structural rescue. We would love to start structural repairs on St. Iggy’s before this next winter hits!
2. FOLLOW @stignatiuscolfax on Instagram. Click the Notification button to know when we post or share stories.
3. SHARE the campaign with your family and friends—everybody loves a good fixer-upper!
4. JOIN our email list for even more details and updates.
5. FOLLOW YOUR OWN CRAZY DREAMS. Every shop opened, old building saved, restaurant started, and trail developed, adds verve and beauty to our community, and encourages the rest of us to keep on!