Then and now: The Chemical Block

Named for a pharmaceutical warehouse built on the corner of Sprague and Howard in the 1890s, the Chemical Block was home to several businesses before being demolished in 1960 to build a parking garage for a nearby bank.

Section:Gallery

Mon., Oct. 21, 2019

The Chemical Block at Sprague Avenue and Howard Street, seen here in a 1959 photo, was purchased by the Spokane and Eastern Bank in 1959, then torn down in 1960 to create a parking lot for the bank across Sprague to the north. The bank, a division of Seattle First National Bank, was replaced by a 20-story tower that opened in 1981 and a seven-story parking garage was built on the Chemical Block site.

The Spokesman-Review Photo Archive
The Chemical Block, a four-story building dating back to 1890, stood on the southwest corner of Sprague Avenue and Howard Street for 70 years. It’s seen here in an October 2019 photo. In 1960, the building was torn down and the block became a parking lot for the Spokane and Eastern Bank, which was part of Seattle First National Bank. In 1981, the 20-story SeaFirst tower was built and the parking garage added.

Jesse Tinsley The Spokesman-Review