Then and now: Irving School

Public education in Spokane started in the 1880s with two elementary schools and a high school on the site of today’s Lewis and Clark High School. These first public schools were built before the city’s population allowed for the formation of a school district in 1889.

Section:Gallery

Mon., Aug. 3, 2020

1966: Irving Elementary School at 7th Avenue and Ash Street was the oldest school in use in Spokane when it was torn down in 1973. By that time, the downtown population of families with children had moved to the suburbs and away from the neighborhood. The 1961 addition, seen at right, was left standing and the property was later sold to the Spokane Elks Lodge. The building today is the Alano Club, where Alcoholics Anonymous programs are held.

The Spokesman-Review Photo Archive
Present day: The 1961 multi

Jesse Tinsley The Spokesman-Review