Then and Now photos: Eagle Block

The Hotel Arthur – later the Hotel Raymond – anchored Spokane’s Eagle Block. The original 1888 building was in the path of the 1889 inferno, but railroad builder Daniel Corbin, who was buying land and constructing the Spokane Falls & Northern railroad, was warned in time to rescue documents from the building. According to historian John R. Fahey, Corbin grabbed ledgers, vouchers and contracts while chief engineer Edward J. Roberts scooped up drawings and surveys. The Eagle Block burned to the ground, but Corbin pushed to finish his railroad. The Eagle Block was rebuilt as a five-story building in 1890 and housed banks, barbers, beauty shops, jewelers and clothing stores. Most of the upstairs was a hotel or rented rooms until its demolition in 1953. – Jesse Tinsley