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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883
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Then and Now: Howard and Riverside, a Spokane financial hotspot for well over a century

1979: Both of these buildings were leveled to create space for the Seafirst Financial Center. A 20-story tower replaced the 1931 Spokane & Eastern Building at left and 1890 Hyde building on the right on Riverside Avenue between Howard and Wall streets. The bank, clad in white terra cotta tile with marble accents, was of French moderne design. A few older buildings behind these, including the Victoria Hotel, were also removed to clear the entire block. (Spokesman-Review photo archives)
1979: Both of these buildings were leveled to create space for the Seafirst Financial Center. A 20-story tower replaced the 1931 Spokane & Eastern Building at left and 1890 Hyde building on the right on Riverside Avenue between Howard and Wall streets. The bank, clad in white terra cotta tile with marble accents, was of French moderne design. A few older buildings behind these, including the Victoria Hotel, were also removed to clear the entire block. (Spokesman-Review photo archives)
By Jesse Tinsley jesset@spokesman.com(509) 459-5378

In 1979, two important downtown buildings were demolished to clear the way for Spokane’s tallest skyscraper.

Before the 1889 fire that leveled downtown, businessman Albert Keats had a dignified three-story brick block with a dry goods stores with some doctors’ and lawyers’ offices. After the fire, Keats went on to other successful businesses and the five-story Traders National Bank was built there in 1891. Traders had been founded in 1886 by E.J. Brickell, D.M. Drumheller and M.M. Cowley. It was just the third bank in the small city.

Another banker, John Phoenix Moore Richards, known as J.P.M., organized the Spokane & Eastern Trust Company in 1890, moving next door to Traders. In 1914, the two financial companies merged under the Spokane & Eastern name.

The bank built a new seven-story building in 1931, in French moderne style and clad in white terra cotta tile and marble accents. In 1935, S&E merged with Seattle-First National Bank, created from three of Seattle’s largest banks in 1929. For many years, the Spokane office would be called the Spokane and Eastern Division of Seattle-First.

The 1931 building was extended to Sprague Avenue in 1951.

In 1979, the bank began demolition of the entire block to build the city’s tallest building, the SeaFirst Financial Center. The six-story Hyde Block, built in 1890 and named for owner Eugene B. Hyde, replaced the three-story Hyde building lost in the fire. Architectural historian Robert B. Hyslop called the Hyde “the most massive and central of the downtown buildings” in a row of ten tall edifices on the south side of Riverside between Washington and Post Streets.

Brothers Eugene, Rollin and Samuel Hyde had arrived from Wisconsin around 1881. Rollin built the Fernwell building. Samuel was an attorney and their sister Mattie Hyde arrived later and became one of the first public school teachers in the city.

Eugene Hyde’s business was real estate, but he was also a city marshal and police chief. He died in 1917.

The 20-story Seafirst Financial Center opened in 1981, adding 160,000 square feet of office space to downtown Spokane. Real estate experts said it showed that first class office space was in great demand.

Seafirst merged with Bank of America in 1998 and the building renamed in 2000.