Historic Register Tour - Fernwell Building

HISTORIC NAME	Fernwell Building
COMMON NAME	Fernwell Building
DATE BUILT	c. 1890
ARCHITECT/BUILDER	Herman Preusse
PROPERTY STYLE	Commercial Vernacular
ON THE SPOKANE REGISTER	Yes - added 7/21/86
NATIONAL REGISTER	No
IN A DISTRICT	No
DISTRICT	No
NEIGHBORHOOD	Riverside

STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE

Rollin Charles Hyde, brother of Eugene Hyde who built the Hyde block, built this structure in the aftermath of the Spokane fire of 1889. Herman Preusse, one of Spokane’s leading architects, designed it. Originally known as the Chamber of Commerce Building, it became the Fernwell in 1893 and has continued under that name. Its housed a men’s clothing store on its ground floor for over ninety years. This was the R.J. Hurd Co. initially, which was bought out in 1925 by the Kemp and Hebert Store, one of Spokane's four largest stores in the early twentieth century. The Kemp and Hebert Store continued to run this store as Hurd's at this address until 1933, when the name of the store was changed to Emry. In 1959, Harvey's bought ought the store.

Having arrived before the great fire of 1889, architect Herman Preusse saw many of his first buildings destroyed in that year. Those that survive today are almost exclusively brick and feature vernacular Romanesque theme. Born in Germany in 1847, he received his architectural training in Europe and was thoroughly skilled in design and drafting upon his arrival in Spokane Falls in 1882, unlike many artists who later sought formal training after coming to Spokane. Among his creations are several buildings in the business district, the Gonzaga Administration Building, several Catholic churches, and private residences in the Logan neighborhood.