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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883
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Then and Now: Old City Hall

Now called the “old” City Hall, the building at Wall Street and Spokane Falls Boulevard seen here in 1928 was erected after the city agreed to sell their 1894 City Hall to railroad companies who were developing a new downtown train station downtown. (THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW PHOTO ARCHIVE / SR)
Now called the “old” City Hall, the building at Wall Street and Spokane Falls Boulevard seen here in 1928 was erected after the city agreed to sell their 1894 City Hall to railroad companies who were developing a new downtown train station downtown. (THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW PHOTO ARCHIVE / SR)
By Jesse Tinsley jesset@spokesman.com(509) 459-5378

Spokane built a new City Hall in 1894. Three stories of brick and granite with twin turrets and many dormers on the roofline reflected the city’s optimism. The Rotary Fountain and the Looff Carrousel sit in that Riverfront Park location today. A fire station, police station and city jail were attached.

Railroads were a foundation industry for the growing city, with the Northern Pacific arriving in 1881 and the Great Northern adding a downtown station in 1902. In the first decade of the 20th century, railroad executives backed by major Eastern financiers planned a new rail corridor between the Northern Pacific and Great Northern tracks and a new three-story station downtown. Unfortunately, the route went straight through City Hall.

With surprisingly little debate, city leaders agreed to sell City Hall to the railroads for $352,000 in 1909 and vacate the premises by 1913. The city hired architect Julius Zittel to design an eight-story building with attached fire and police stations.

Voters turned down two bond issues of $650,000 and $500,000. Zittel had to downsize to six stories and a $250,000 building.

The final designs followed the Commercial Style of the Chicago School of Architecture. The building was a boxy brick structure, bolstered by steel internal framework, which allowed for larger windows. There was little ornamentation except for the first floor and around the top floor and roofline.

As Mayor W.J. Hindley laid the cornerstone in October 1912, he told the crowd the building was only temporary until the city built another grand edifice.

The city offices stayed in the building for almost 70 years, long after the various departments had moved elsewhere. The police department moved out in 1960.

In 1962, City Manager Henry Nabers told the council that 500 employees worked in the 50-year-old building. City Engineer A.M. Eschbach said noise, inadequate lighting and difficulty regulating temperatures contributed to the excessive cost of operating the building. Still, voters turned down two ambitious plans for a new City Hall in 1961 and 1963.

The city paid $1,791,250 for the former Montgomery Ward department store building in 1979 and spent another $250,000 to remodel it. City administrative offices moved there in 1982.