Tenants of St. Ignatius get new roof

COLFAX - The residents that haunt St. Ignatius Hospital will find some relief this Halloween season as the historic building nears the completion of its new roofing project.

Built in 1893 by Ellis and Waite, the hospital has been a fixture in the community for over a century.

For Austin Storm, who owns the building with his wife Laura, the completion of the roofing marks a significant milestone in the ongoing effort to preserve and restore the iconic structure.

"It will be so nice to be done with roofs," said Storm. "Roofs are exciting for me because I know that the building won't fall down."

St. Ignatius Hospital served Whitman County until it was decommissioned in 1968. It has been vacant since 2003, enduring years of neglect, and has been listed on the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation's "Most Endangered Watch List" annually since 2015.

"We get excited about how historic Colfax's downtown is," said Storm. "We are excited to have that additional venue to share our projects and visions with."

The couple launched a new tour, the "Haunted Hotel," offering visitors the chance to explore the hospital's eerie halls.

The building's lower floors once housed businesses, while the upper floors served as a boarding house and hotel.

The three-hour tour accommodates groups of up to six people and provides equipment for ghost hunting. However, visitors should note that the building has no heat or electricity, and the tours require climbing stairs. The tours are private, and reservations are available online.

"Mostly we have been so focused on this [the roofing project]," Storm added. "We are thinking about events for next year. Even though we do the ghost tours every year, it feels like it still builds every year."

The hospital project is divided into three phases: stabilization, ongoing preservation and adaptive reuse.

With the roof now secure, the next steps involve maintaining the structure through activities like ghost tours, historic tours and outdoor events.

Looking ahead, Storm envisions adaptive reuse of the space, potentially including a cafe with outdoor seating in the hospital's rear kitchen.

"Every project is a bunch of little projects that you had no idea you were going to have to do," Storm said. "We always have one project and then a side project. This year we continue to work in the chapel. It has always been a great feature."

Despite the challenges, Storm remains optimistic about the future of St. Ignatius Hospital. He's worked closely with the Whitman County Historical Society, the Colfax Chamber and volunteers to preserve the building, which he and Val have owned for four years.

As they prepare for the post-roof era, their focus will be on preserving the historic feel of the hospital while making it a functional space.

"I can imagine that place being finished," Storm said. "We really want a place where we can test our vision in preserving the historic feel because you can easily come into a space like this and make it new. But that is not what we want."

For Storm, the journey to restore St. Ignatius has been both challenging and rewarding.

He hopes the completed project will reflect the community's faith in his team to maintain the building's unique, timeless charm.

Author Bio

Olivia Harnack, Editorial Reporter

Olivia Harnack is a Journalist at the Whitman County Gazette. Olivia is enrolled at University of Idaho and is majoring in digital film studies. She serves in the United States Army National Guard and is proud to serve Whitman County.

• Email: editor@wcgazette.com