Eagle block
On the northwest corner of Riverside and Stevens, now a two story office buildings, was the Eagle block starting in 1888.
Section:Then & Now
Image One
Charles Libby Collection, Washington State Archives, Digital Archives
Image Two
Jesse Tinsley
| The Spokesman-Review
On the northwest corner of Riverside and Stevens, now a two story office buildings, was the Eagle block starting in 1888. The photo above shows the upper floors as the Hotel Arthur, later the Hotel Raymond. The original 1888 building was in the path of the 1889 inferno that started nearby and railroad builder Daniel Corbin, who was furiously buying up land and building the Spokane Falls & Northern railroad, was warned in time to run to the SF&N office in the Eagle with his chief engineer Edward J. Roberts close behind, according to historian John R. Fahey. Corbin quickly grabbed ledgers, vouchers and contracts while Roberts scooped up drawing and surveys. The Eagle was burned to the ground, but Corbin continued the push to finish his railroad while others were still trying to recover from the fire. The Eagle was rebuilt as a five-story building in 1890 and has housed banks, barbers and beauty shops, jeweler and clothing stores, while most of the upstairs was a hotel or rented rooms until its demolition in 1953.
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