List of tallest buildings in Spokane

The city of Spokane, located in the east of the U.S. state of Washington, is the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region of the United States, where it serves as a hub for retail trade and services.[1] As of January 2022, Spokane has 40 high-rise buildings.[2] High-rise development began in 1891, shortly after the Great Spokane Fire of 1889, with the completion of the 146-foot (45 m) Review Building featuring a traditional brick-and-stone construction.[3]

Downtown Spokane skyline from the South Hill
Downtown Spokane skyline from the South Hill

In the late 19th century, the term skyscraper was typically used to describe buildings of a relatively modest 10 to 20 stories in height that were built on a ground level of thick masonry walls, as opposed to the contemporary usage of the term which is often used to describe more modern high-rise buildings in excess of 40 or 50 stories that were made possible with the incorporation of a metal framework.[4] After the advent of steel-frame construction, allowing for increased strength to support more floors, the construction of skyscrapers locally began increasing in the early 20th century.[3]

The U.S. Bank Building (built 1910) and the Paulsen Medical and Dental Building (built 1929) were among the earliest skyscrapers in Spokane and both held the title of tallest building in the city, respectively.[3] The U.S. Bank Building was also the tallest building in the state of Washington upon its completion.[5][6] The current tallest building in Spokane, surpassing the Paulsen Medical and Dental Building, is the 288-foot-tall (88 m) Bank of America Financial Center, which was completed in 1981 and has held the distinction for 43 years.[3] Taller buildings have since been proposed but not constructed.[7]

Cityscape

Panorama of Downtown Spokane looking north from Cliff Drive in December 2015

Tallest buildings

Spokane has 24 high rises that stand at least 145 feet (44 m) tall based on standard height measurement. This height includes spires and architectural details but does not include antenna masts.[a] Spokane's first high-rise, the Review Building was the tallest building in Spokane upon completion in 1891 and held the title for roughly 10 years.[8] The U.S. Bank Building was the tallest building in the city from 1910 until 1929 when it was surpassed in height by the Paulsen Medical and Dental Building, which lasted as the tallest from 1929 until 1981 when the current tallest building, the Bank of America Financial Center was completed.[3][9]

Tallest buildings in Spokane
RankNameImageHeight
ft (m)
FloorsUseYearCoordinatesRef.
1Bank of America Financial Center 288 (88)20Offices198147°39′27″N 117°25′18″W / 47.65750°N 117.42167°W / 47.65750; -117.42167 (Bank of America Financial Center)[10][11][12][13]
2Washington Trust Tower
243 (74)18Offices198247°39′22″N 117°25′18″W / 47.65611°N 117.42167°W / 47.65611; -117.42167 (Wells Fargo Center)[12][14][15][b]
3Davenport Hotel Tower 224 (68)20Hotel200747°39′23″N 117°25′22″W / 47.65639°N 117.42278°W / 47.65639; -117.42278 (The Davenport Hotel Tower)[12][16][17]
4Paulsen Medical and Dental Building 221 (67)18Offices192947°39′28″N 117°25′7″W / 47.65778°N 117.41861°W / 47.65778; -117.41861 (Paulsen Center)[18][19]
5U.S. Bank Building 219 (67)16Offices191047°39′30″N 117°25′9″W / 47.65833°N 117.41917°W / 47.65833; -117.41917 (U.S. Bank)[12][20][21][c]
6Washington Trust Financial Center 212 (65)16Offices197347°39′25″N 117°25′22″W / 47.65694°N 117.42278°W / 47.65694; -117.42278 (Washington Trust Financial Center)[22]
7Chase Building 205 (62)15Offices197347°39′31″N 117°25′18″W / 47.65861°N 117.42167°W / 47.65861; -117.42167 (Chase Bank)[12][23]
8Davenport Grand Hotel 195 (59)
[d]
16Hotel201547°39′35″N 117°25′1″W / 47.65972°N 117.41694°W / 47.65972; -117.41694 (The Davenport Grand)[25]
Cathedral Plaza 195 (59)
[d]
15Residential197147°39′27″N 117°25′45″W / 47.65750°N 117.42917°W / 47.65750; -117.42917 (Cathedral Plaza Apartments)[12][26]
Riverfalls Tower 195 (59)
[d]
15Residential197347°39′30″N 117°25′52″W / 47.65833°N 117.43111°W / 47.65833; -117.43111 (Riverfalls Tower Apartments)[12][27]
11Park Tower 190 (58)20Residential197447°39′35″N 117°24′51″W / 47.65972°N 117.41417°W / 47.65972; -117.41417 (Park Tower Apartments)[12][28]
12DoubleTree Hotel Spokane City Center 182 (55)
[d]
14Hotel197547°39′40″N 117°24′50″W / 47.66111°N 117.41389°W / 47.66111; -117.41389 (DoubleTree Hotel)[29]
Sacred Heart Medical Center - Main Tower 182 (55)
[d]
14Hospital197147°38′57″N 117°24′47″W / 47.64917°N 117.41306°W / 47.64917; -117.41306 (Sacred Heart Medical Center)[30]
14Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist 180 (55)1Religious196147°38′42″N 117°24′36″W / 47.64500°N 117.41000°W / 47.64500; -117.41000 (Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist)[31][e]
15Parkade Plaza 173 (53)11Parking196747°39′32″N 117°25′13″W / 47.65889°N 117.42028°W / 47.65889; -117.42028 (Parkade)[32][33][f]
16Lilac Plaza 169 (52)
[d]
13Residential197247°43′16″N 117°24′16″W / 47.72111°N 117.40444°W / 47.72111; -117.40444 (Lilac Plaza Retirement Community)[34]
17Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes 164 (50)1Religious190847°39′29″N 117°25′42″W / 47.65806°N 117.42833°W / 47.65806; -117.42833 (Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes)[35][g]
18Paulsen Building 160 (49)11Offices191147°39′28″N 117°25′9″W / 47.65778°N 117.41917°W / 47.65778; -117.41917 (Paulsen Building)[36][h]
19Davenport Hotel 157 (48)14Hotel191447°39′25″N 117°25′28″W / 47.65694°N 117.42444°W / 47.65694; -117.42444 (The Historic Davenport Hotel)[37][38]
20Ridpath Club Apartments 156 (48)
[d]
12Residential195247°39′25″N 117°25′13″W / 47.65694°N 117.42028°W / 47.65694; -117.42028 (Ridpath Club Apartments)[39]
21Centennial Hotel 156 (48)
[d]
12Hotel199347°39′50″N 117°25′0″W / 47.66389°N 117.41667°W / 47.66389; -117.41667 (The Centennial Hotel)[40]
22Centennial Mills Flouring Mill 147 (45)10Industrial194047°39′46″N 117°22′34″W / 47.66278°N 117.37611°W / 47.66278; -117.37611 (Centennial Mills Flouring Mill)[41]
23Cooper George 146 (45)13Residential195247°39′4″N 117°25′21″W / 47.65111°N 117.42250°W / 47.65111; -117.42250 (Cooper George Apartments)[42]
Review Building 146 (45)10Offices189147°39′27″N 117°25′34″W / 47.65750°N 117.42611°W / 47.65750; -117.42611 (The Spokesman-Review Building)[43][44][i]

In popular culture

The subject of skyscrapers in Spokane entered popular culture in an episode of How I Met Your Mother when a proposed building became a topic of discussion, where main character, Ted Mosby, an architect, was tasked by his boss with designing a 78-story skyscraper for a client in downtown Spokane.[45] When revealed to the client later in the episode, the building was ridiculed for its phallic shape and the design was rejected.[46]

See also

Notes

References

General
  • "Tallest buildings in Spokane". Emporis. Archived from the original on August 21, 2021. Retrieved May 13, 2016.
  • "Buildings in Spokane (existing)". Emporis. Archived from the original on August 28, 2021. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
Specific

External links