Visitors to Spokane often comment on the fine job we've done at preserving and reusing our large inventory of older buildings. Brick usually stands out as the material of choice (after the City burned down in the late 1800s, the building code was revised to allow ONLY buildings of masonry in central business district). But look a little closer and you'll see a virtual geologic tour of the world literally at our doorstep.
The idea for this topic presented itself recently at Frank's Diner near 2nd and Maple. Next time you're
there check out the retaining wall running alongside the BNSF rail line, behind the restaurant. We're not sure when it was built, but the wall is a collection of stones from 
long demolished Spokane buildings.
Sandstones, limestones, pink marbles, granite of all shapes and sizes are all there. In some, partial names of old buildings are still visible. In others, the lines of old facades and lintels make their original uses obvious.
To help you on your geoligic tour, we found this sweet fieldguide to downtown Spokane buildings that was completed in 1981 by the Northwest Mining Association: Cornerstones of Spokane - A guidebook to the building stones of downtown Spokane (pdf). It's an eleven page document complete with a map and narritive on some of our more remarkable structures. The text for the recently demolished Mohawk reads:
"The building is faced in two different kinds of marble. On the east is the dark green "Verde Antique" marble quarried near Rutland, Vermont. In contrast on the west is a clear white marble from Italy near Carrara and Viareggio on the west coast."
So next time you're out and about downtown look beyond the brick.
It looks like the HOW is actually an upside down MOHA in your picture. Was there a previous Mohawk building in town somewhere?
SG
Posted by: Spencer Grainger | April 27, 2007 at 11:34 AM