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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

100 years ago in Spokane: Downtown’s oldest building destroyed by fire

From our archives, 100 years ago

Swanson’s Hotel, also known as the Albion Block, “said to be the oldest downtown building in Spokane,” was destroyed by an early morning fire.

The wooden structure at 174 S. Howard was being used as a hotel with rooms renting for $5, and it had been on the verge of condemnation.

One occupant, a laborer, was trapped in his room and seriously injured when he leapt from a window in panic. Witnesses said they saw the man throw his suitcase out the window and they yelled for him to wait until the firemen brought a ladder. But he jumped anyway and broke a leg and suffered other injuries.

Another lodger, age 64, was overcome by smoke and carried out of the hotel by firefighters. The fire department was hampered by a train which blocked access for five minutes.

The cause of the fire was not yet known, but it appeared to have started in a linen room on the second floor.

The building was built in 1896 as the People’s United Church but reverted to hotel and lodging house usage.

Most of the lodgers were men, said the landlord, “though there were a few families in housekeeping rooms.”

All of the other occupants had been accounted for.