Masterson House Building

In 1907, Calvin Masterson, who was highly instrumental in developing early Rupert and its government, owned this property. A 1907 photograph shows Peeble Law Office located here. Later it became Masterson Law Office. The terrible September 5, 1910 fire leveled almost all of the north side of the square, destroying Masterson's general store. Valued at $7,500, only $5,000 was recovered in insurance. However, with determination and salvaged stock, he was back in business within a few days. Shortly thereafter, this two-story structure and a new three-story hotel, placed only four feet from the back, were built. The Masterson House Rooms, a new lodging facility for the young and growing Rupert, occupied these buildings. Through the years, as the rooms changed hands, they were known as the Rupert House Rooms, Hotel Rupert, and Hotel Rupert Apartments. The main floor housed The Golden Rule Store from the teens to the 1920s. A 1931 photograph shows the building occupied by Whitehead Furniture and then Buttcane Furniture until 1946. Van Engelen's Department Store, Motor Parts and Supply and The Sportsman each occupied this space for a time until 1962. The building was empty for several years until Glines and Condie, a public accounting firm, refurbished the building around 1974. About 1980, it became Condie, Stoker CPAs. Although extensively remodeled, the present single-span brick arch is reflective of 1920s architecture.