Then and Now: Memorial cenotaph

Mon., May 5, 2025

1967: William M. Treadwell, Gonzaga University faculty member, speaks before a large and attentive Veterans Day audience at the Spokane Coliseum cenotaph. The cenotaph was placed in 1966 to replace a structure that had stood at Monroe Street and Main Avenue but was removed in 1952 because it was dilapidated. Treadwell’s talk was a highlight of the local observance, which included a parade from the downtown area. (THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW PHOTO ARCHIVE)

By Jesse Tinsley jesset@spokesman.com (509) 459-5378

Spokane has always been known for its support of veterans and the sacrifices made in battle. The high price paid by the nation’s service members led to a monument to Spokane’s war dead.

Spokane All-Veterans Council, formed around 1943, consisted of 23 organizations in the region that united to promote veterans’ welfare. Although most members were also members of the American Legion or the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the council was not affiliated with any state or national group. A Spokane Chronicle news story said the group had 5,000 members in 1945, many of them women.

One of the group’s first efforts was to help returning veterans get their old jobs back or to find new employment. The council would also advocate for a permanent veterans’ hospital to continue the work of Baxter Hospital and other temporary convalescent facilities serving those wounded in war.

In 1943, veterans groups erected a monument to those who died in war behind the Abraham Lincoln statue at Main Avenue and Monroe Street. Though the memorial was shaped like many stone obelisks, it was constructed of plywood over a wood frame and painted white. The names of Spokane’s recent war dead were hand-painted on the sides.

The monument was called a “cenotaph,” a compound word of Greek derivation that means “empty tomb.” A cenotaph is a war memorial where no human remains are present. There are many famous cenotaphs at historical sites and cemeteries around the world.

The monument was the focal point of many Memorial Day and Armistice Day events, where parades ended, wreaths were laid and crowds gathered. But within a decade, the paint on the first structure had deteriorated and the names were almost unreadable. It was removed in 1952.

It would take another decade until veterans groups could raise money for a replacement.

The new Spokane Coliseum, under construction in 1953, was chosen as the future location for a war memorial. It took until 1966 to raise funds for a granite monument that was placed by the Coliseum in 1966.

The monument was reinstalled at the southeast corner of the new Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena in 1997. It is now surrounded by other monuments, including the Illuminating Courage memorial that is dedicated to veterans after Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.

The All Veterans Council disbanded in the 1980s.