Great Northern Railway Depot Tower West 400 Block, South Bank of  Havermale Island

HISTORIC NAME	Great Northern Railway Depot Tower
COMMON NAME	The Clock Tower
DATE BUILT	1901-02
ARCHITECT/BUILDER
PROPERTY STYLE	Eclectic: Italian Romanesque & Renaissance influences
ON THE SPOKANE REGISTER	No
NATIONAL REGISTER	Yes - added 5/19/72
IN A DISTRICT	No
DISTRICT	No
NEIGHBORHOOD	Riverside

STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE

The Great Northern Railway Depot Tower stands as a physical reminder of the centrality of railroads in the emergence of Spokane as a regional distribution hub during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.  Construction of the depot commenced in 1901.  When it was completed in 1902 it was considered the finest depot west of Chicago.  Countless passengers embarked and disembarked at the depot, which served famous passenger trains like the “Empire Builder.”  The depot’s clock tower was retained when the station was demolished in the early 1970s in preparation for Expo ’74, the World’s Fair that Spokane hosted in 1974.  It now stands as a city landmark in the heart of Riverfront Park, the centerpiece of the city.

Credits: Photo by Tim Cannan, 2002

© 1997-2002 City of Spokane, Washington. All Rights Reserved.
Last Date Modified: December 15, 2005