Spokane, Washington · Founded 1939 · Building: 1928
A seasonal West Central Spokane ice-cream parlor dating to 1939, with a vintage soda fountain and a history of reopening after interruptions.
Doyle's Ice Cream Parlor began at 2229 W. Boone Avenue in Spokane's West Central neighborhood in 1939 under Arthur Doyle. The building itself dates to 1928 and retains a small-scale neighborhood-store character. Doyle's is a seasonal business now known for homemade ice cream and a working vintage soda fountain, but its history includes multi-year closures rather than unbroken operation.
The building at 2229 W. Boone Avenue is constructed for an earlier commercial use. Sources conflict on whether that use was a bakery or a barber and beauty shop.
Source: Doyle's Ice Cream Parlor historical summary; Spokane Historical, "Doyle's Ice Cream Parlor"
Arthur Doyle begins operating Doyle's Ice Cream Parlor at 2229 W. Boone Avenue in Spokane's West Central neighborhood.
Source: Doyle's official website; KHQ, "Spokane's historic ice cream parlor Doyle's reopens for business"; Doyle's Ice Cream Parlor historical summary
Arthur Doyle purchases the property after establishing the ice-cream business there.
Source: Doyle's Ice Cream Parlor historical summary
Arthur Doyle's period of operating the parlor ends.
Source: Doyle's Ice Cream Parlor historical summary
Jerry Gill acquires and reopens Doyle's after an earlier closure; Gill had grown up two houses from the parlor.
Source: The Spokesman-Review, "Doyles Ice Cream returns to warm welcome"; Spokane Historical, "Doyle's Ice Cream Parlor"
Doyle's closes while Jerry Gill cares for an ill family member.
Source: The Spokesman-Review, "Doyles Ice Cream returns to warm welcome"
Doyle's reopens after roughly two years closed.
Source: The Spokesman-Review, "Doyles Ice Cream returns to warm welcome"
Doyle's reopens for its seasonal 2026 service after its customary winter closure.
Source: KHQ, "Spokane's historic ice cream parlor Doyle's reopens for business"
Every claim gets rated. A business's own website can never earn "documented."
Doyle's has a strong claim to being one of Spokane's oldest surviving ice-cream parlors, but continuous operation is contradicted by reported multi-year closures before Jerry Gill reopened it in 1991 and again before its 2010 reopening.
Doyle's and current local reporting identify the 1939 shop as Spokane's oldest ice-cream parlor. The business's long history supports the claim, but this pass did not conduct a complete citywide review of older ice-cream businesses or surviving counters.
A 2026 local news report quotes owner Jerry Gill describing Doyle's as having Spokane's last working vintage soda fountain. This pass did not independently compare surviving soda fountains throughout Spokane, so the claim remains plausible rather than proven.
Arthur Doyle established the business, but Jerry Gill acquired it in 1991. Later reporting and historical summaries describe ownership changes after Gill's tenure, so continuous Doyle-family ownership is not supported.
Doyle's Ice Cream Parlor was founded by Edwin Doyle in 1940 at 2624 W. Boone Avenue.
The best-supported history places Arthur Doyle's opening in 1939 at 2229 W. Boone Avenue. Arthur Doyle purchased the property in 1940, which may explain the date discrepancy.
Source: Doyle's official website; KHQ, "Spokane's historic ice cream parlor Doyle's reopens for business"; Doyle's Ice Cream Parlor historical summary
Doyle's has operated continuously since 1939.
The business was closed for years before Jerry Gill reopened it in 1991 and was closed again for roughly two years before reopening in August 2010.
Source: The Spokesman-Review, "Doyles Ice Cream returns to warm welcome"
Doyle's has survived because later caretakers preserved its deliberately old-fashioned neighborhood identity rather than turning it into a modern chain. Jerry Gill, who grew up two houses away, reopened and operated the parlor from 1991, and its seasonal business model continues to draw returning local customers. Its survival story is restoration and community loyalty, not uninterrupted daily service.
Doyle's Ice Cream Parlor began in Spokane, Washington, in 1939, when Arthur Doyle opened the business at 2229 W. Boone Avenue. The building dates to 1928, and Jerry Gill acquired the parlor in 1991 after an earlier closure. Doyle's later closed again for roughly two years before reopening in 2010 and now operates seasonally.
Doyle's is commonly described as Spokane's oldest existing ice-cream parlor, dating to 1939, but a full citywide comparison has not been completed. It is not Spokane's oldest continuously operating ice-cream parlor because documented multi-year closures interrupted service before 1991 and again before 2010.
No. Doyle's operates seasonally and closes during the winter. It reopened for the 2026 season in April after its customary winter break, so visitors should check the business's current website or social channels before making a special trip.
2229 W Boone Ave, Spokane, WA 99201
(509) 216-9657
Doyle's is a seasonal business with winter closures; verify current hours and payment options before visiting.