Review Building - Spokane, WA
Posted by: T0SHEA
N 47° 39.469 W 117° 25.569
11T E 468001 N 5278357
One of the many substantial brick and stone buildings to go up immediately after Spokane's disastrous 1889 fire, the Review Building remains one of the tallest in the downtown area.
Waymark Code: WMJRYZ
Location: Washington, United States
Date Posted: 12/26/2013
Views: 2
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
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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