St. Ignatius boarded up

A Spokane contractor April 7 began boarding up windows and other openings at the former St. Ignatius Manor on South Mill on the south hill of Colfax.

The large, vacant four-story building over the years has become an attraction for youths with the last reported incident March 12 when a group of Pullman teens reportedly were seen entering the building and several officers were called out to check the structure.

The teens were never located inside the building, but a Ford Explorer which was left outside the building was impounded and later recovered by the teen’s family.

The interior of the building, which has sustained extensive water damage, is now considered a hazard. City building inspector Andy Burgard March 23 sent a notice to the building’s owner, Anthony Girges of Bellflower, Calif. The notice said the building is unfit for habitation and condemned as an attractive nuisance.

Girges was ordered to have the manor and its out buildings closed up and to remove the fire escapes to prevent access.

The large building served as St. Ignatius Hospital until it was replaced by Whitman Community Hospital in 1968. It then became a group home and its name was changed to St. Ignatius Manor.