Then and now: Milwaukee Road
In 1909, The Milwaukee Road became  the third transcontinental railroad to connect through Spokane to Seattle.  Expansion of its electric routes in the West cost the railroad company dearly and led to multiple bankruptcies, including its final such filing in 1977.
Section:Gallery
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The Milwaukee Freight Office, seen here in a 1929 photo, sat east of the Union Depot, far left, and handled freight which was taken in at the front loading dock and loaded out the back to trains. The 1914 building was torn down in the early 1973 to make way for the Washington State Pavilion, which became the Opera House, then the INB Performing Arts Center and is today known as the First Interstate Center of the Arts. The Union Depot also met the same fate.
Libby Collection Eastern Washington Historical Society
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The First Interstate Center for the Arts and the Spokane Convention Center are on the site of the old Milwaukee Freight Office, part of the railroad infrastructure removed for Expo ’74 and seen here in this July 2019 photo. Some of the massive foundation of the freight depot was incorporated into the convention center because it was easier than removing large amounts of concrete. The building served as the Washington State Pavilion during the fair.
Jesse Tinsley The Spokesman-Review
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