Submitted by:
Etter Milla

The Davenport Hotel employed me in 1941-1942. I was going to Gonzaga High School, and after school my friend, Mario Saccomano and I would walk to the Davenport and do a 4 hour shift either as a dishwasher, bus boy, sweeper, putting up and taking down the flag on the roof, playing catch, etc. Mr. Davenport’s orders were that the sidewalk around the Davenport was to be swept every hour. During the school days that was our duty. On Saturdays, the mats in front of all the businesses in the building had to be steam cleaned in the garbage room so that they looked like new when they returned to their places. When the Davenport had their garage in the basement, we discovered that they had a steam hose and there was no garbage to smell, we thought that would be great to wash the mats with it, making our job much easier. One day Mr. Davenport came in the garage, he stopped, looked at us, we said hello Mr. Davenport, and he responded hello and walked out. The next day we were told not to use the garage to clean the mats as the steam would get on the customers cars. On Sundays, it was my duty to clean the restrooms and keep them clean in the Italian Gardens, and the many birdcages and furnish the birds their food and water.

    During the summer we would setup for parties in the hotel and also at peoples home. The last job I held was getting the food from the main kitchen to the deli on the corner of 1st and Post. I also worked in the Apple Bower.

    I have many fond memories of the hotel, the employee’s kitchen in the basement, if you worked 4 hours that entitled you to a meal. Mr. Weber was in charged. I think the Chef was Marseille, cook Fred Soderburg; Salad Kitchen, Martin Costello; Head of Bus boys, Tony Tallerico; his wife Fern was head of the Waitress; Mater Dee of the Italian Gardens, George Haspedis; Manager Mr. McKulsky; Room Service Mike Chemente, Waiters Clyde Fuller, Art Genova, brothers, Warren and Wally Chetham. Pete Benner; Silver Coin washer John Ungary, and his son John, was a cook

    The mezzanine was also a meeting place, the wood phone booths, the little desks supplied with Davenport stationary and envelopes for all to use.