Then and now: The Bennett Block

Bascomb H. Bennett lost his hotel in the 1889 fire and the new Bennett Block was built in the same location in 1890 for $40,000. The Bank of Spokane Falls closed suddenly in the panic of 1893 and Cannon died broke in 1895. Bennett himself died of the Spanish flu in 1898 at age 39, leaving a wife and 14-year-old son.

Section:Gallery

Mon., Nov. 4, 2019

The Bennett Block, seen here in a 1980 photo at Main Ave. & Howard Street in downtown Spokane, was built by Bascomb H. Bennett after its predecessor was lost in the 1889 fire. The upstairs was a hotel for many years with retail stores on the ground floor. Bennett was a partner with his father-in-law, Anthony M. Cannon, a wealthy pioneer of the city. The skywalk at left was attached to the building in 1967.

The Spokesman-Review Photo Archive Sr
The 1890 Bennett Block, on the northeast corner of Howard Street and Main Avenue, was built by Bascomb H. Bennett in 1890 after the previous building, the Arlington Hotel, burned in the great fire of 1889. For most of its life, there were hotel rooms, and later apartments, on the upper floors, though now it is mostly office space.

Jesse Tinsley The Spokesman-Review