Review Building - Spokane, WA - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

The Spokesman-Review still publishes from within this landmark building completed in 1891. Under the name of The Review, the newspaper was launched on May 19, 1883 in nearby Cheney by Frank Dallam as Spokane had no printing press that he could use. His own printing press arrived shortly and he moved the paper into Spokane. The existing newspaper in Spokane was the Democratic Chronicle. The Review, being of Republican leaning, and the Chronicle became bitter enemies, with the circulation of the Review soon soon exceeding that of the Chronicle. In 1883, Andrew Pritchard, first discoverer of gold in the Couer d'Alene area, brought his ore samples to Dallam's office. Seeing the story in this event Dallam published the story in the next issue, which sold out all over the west, and as far east as Minnesota, thereby starting Spokane's first population boom.

Another outcome of Spokane's rapid growth was an attempt by a few individuals to establish another newspaper in the city. Dallam, in an attempt to counter his competition, spent $5,000 in 1886 to buy an Associated Press franchise. However, to help pay for the franchise he found it necessary to take on two partners, H. T. Brown and H. W. Greenburg. Dallam, due to some misunderstanding with the new partners, sold his interest in 1887. In April 1888, Brown and Greenburg sold out to four men who were staff members of the Portland Oregonian. The Review's new owners, in an attempt to build up the newspaper, purchased a lot for $21,000 at the corner of Monroe Street and Riverside Avenue for a new office building. Later that year, Harry T. Brown returned to Spokane with two men from Chicago to start a paper with Spokane residents as its owners, in opposition to the Portland owner Review. On March 9, 1890, the first issue of the Spokesman was published. It differed from the Review in that it contained special columns such as fashion news, gossip, literary reviews, and other new features and novelties.

In 1891, the owners of the Review were putting the finishing touches on their new office building, while the Spokesman was in deep financial trouble. As the Spokesman suffered the Review building opened with a tremendous fanfare. Over 8,000 people visited the new building opening day, and as they toured the magnificent edifice they were treated to live music and delicious refreshments...

The feud that developed between the two dailies grew so heated that there wasn't an issue of either paper that didn't attack the other. Finally the expense of competition became so costly that if either were to survive, it would be necessary for them to merge. In this way the new Spokane Morning Review was founded under the management of Harvey Scott, H. L. Pittock, W. H. Cowles and Anthony Cannon. The paper was beginning to show a profit when, in the summer of 1893, a country-wide panic closed hundreds of the nation's banks. The panic had a drastic effect on the paper and it was at this time that W. H. Cowles, part owner of the Spokane Morning Review, left his Chicago office and came to Spokane in an attempt to salvage the newspaper from the financial debris left by the panic. He quickly acquired all the stock until he had 100% control of the paper and created a newspaper called the Spokesman Review , which in reality was the Spokane Morning Review with a new editor and a new name. Cowles from the very first guided and controlled every phase of the paper's editorial service; he shaped editorial policy and clearly communicated to its staff his journalistic standards. For fifty years Cowles was "at the helm" of the Spokesman Review, and under his leadership the paper achieved great success. Cowles not only influenced the citizens of Spokane, his advice was also solicited by Theodore Roosevelt, Herbert Hoover, and William Howard Taft. Theodore Roosevelt met with him periodically and wrote 20 letters to Cowles in the period from 1908-1918.
From The Register

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The Review Building houses the offices of the Spokesman-Review, Spokane’s principal newspaper. It is one of the tallest buildings in Spokane; its tower is taller than the main roofs of the Paulsen Medical and Dental and Old National Bank buildings. Since its construction, it has been one of the most conspicuous buildings in town. Located on an irregular lot, its architect, Chauncey B. Seaton designed it to fit the shape of the lot well. Seaton came to Spokane in the aftermath of the Spokane Fire in 1889 to help rebuild Spokane. In 1890, he designed and supervised the construction of the Spokane Exposition Building. Although he designed the Review Building, he left before it was completed. In its early days, the building housed the Hotel Review in the upper floors. It also housed the Spokane Daily Chronicle until the build ng became too crowded, and the Chronicle moved into its own building, next south in 1921. The Review Building was erected to house the Review, an evening daily paper, which was established by Frank Dallam as a weekly paper in 1883. Its closest competitor was the Spokesman, a democratic paper owned by a group of Spokane businessmen. In 1893, the competition between the two newspapers necessitated a merger if either was to survive. Out of this the Spokane Morning Review was born, under the management of Harvey Scott, H. L. Pittock, Anthony Cannon, and W. H. Cowles. The Panic of 1893 severely hurt the paper, and Cowles came to Spokane from Chicago to salvage it. He gained total control and created the Spokesman Review. W. H. Cowles was an important and influential businessman in Spokane. He was a founding member of the Spokane Chamber of Commerce, regional director of the Boy Scouts of America, and director for the Associated Press for thirty-three years. Theodore Roosevelt, Herbert Hoover, and William Howard Taft sought his advice. The family still owns and runs the paper and are generous civic benefactors in Spokane.
From Historic Spokane

Street address: 999 W. Riverside Avenue Spokane, WA USA 99201 County / Borough / Parish: Spokane County Year listed: 1975 Historic (Areas of) Significance: Architecture, Communications Periods of significance: 1875-1899 Historic function: Commerce/Trade Current function: Commerce/Trade Privately owned?: yes Season start / Season finish: From: 01/01/2013 To: 12/31/2013 Hours of operation: From: 8:00 AM To: 5:00 PM Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Secondary Website 1: [Web Link] Secondary Website 2: [Web Link] National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

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