1905 brick schoolhouse turned bed-and-breakfast with a child-spirit legend
105 E Wallace Ave, Coeur d'Alene, ID 83814
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
The original bed-and-breakfast closed in May 2025; the building was sold and is being preserved as a short-term rental. Confirm current availability before planning a stay. Exterior is viewable from Wallace Avenue.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Paved sidewalk along Wallace Avenue; multi-story historic building
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1905 · National Register of Historic Places · Former Coeur d'Alene Elementary School · Queen Anne and Romanesque Architecture
The building at 105 East Wallace Avenue was constructed in 1905, designed by architect George Williams in Queen Anne and Romanesque styles, and opened as an elementary school serving the first through sixth grades. Through the early decades, two grades shared classrooms; the school dropped fifth and sixth grades in 1945 as the city grew, and the building served as a school until 1971, when a larger and more modern school replaced it.
The Board of Education used the structure for storage until 1979, when Jonas Marias bought it and converted it to offices, adding a third story that lowered the original 18-foot ceilings to about 10 feet. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 30, 1976. It operated as an office building from 1982 until 1992, when it was converted to a bed-and-breakfast and reopened in 1994.
John and Tina Hough purchased the property in 1999 and ran the Roosevelt Inn for more than 25 years, expanding it to roughly 15 rooms with a renovated bell-tower suite and a basement banquet hall. The Houghs retired and closed the inn in May 2025. The property was sold the same year; former Coeur d'Alene mayor Steve Widmyer and his wife Marie acquired it in August 2025 and committed to preserving the historic building, after an earlier prospective buyer's plans had raised the prospect of demolition.
Sources
During the Houghs' years as innkeepers, guests and family said they sensed a young boy in the building, a presence the family came to call Dennis. The name was a household joke borrowed from a television show rather than the identity of any known child. Tina Hough described hearing a small voice say "grandma, grandma" and noticing recurring oddities: bedspread corners turned up and light bulbs found unscrewed in lamps, which her children denied doing.
The reported activity is mild and centered on a child figure, which visitors and writers have linked to the building's six decades as an elementary school. A KHQ feature on the inn drew on the schoolhouse history and the family's accounts, and the lore has circulated in regional travel coverage. No documented death of a specific child at the building was located in research, and Hauntbound presents Dennis as folklore tied to the site's past rather than to a named individual.
With the bed-and-breakfast closed since May 2025 and the building under new owners committed to preservation, the legend is now attached to a property whose public access is limited.
Notable Entities
Media Appearances
View the three-story 1905 brick building at 105 East Wallace Avenue, built as a Coeur d'Alene elementary school and later run for decades as the Roosevelt Inn bed-and-breakfast. The longtime innkeepers closed the B&B in May 2025; the property was sold to new owners who have committed to preserving the historic structure. Confirm public access before visiting beyond the exterior.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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