Please...save the curbs...

Scattered throughout downtown virtually under your feet is a throwback to the earliest days of the city: granite curbs, baby.  Yeah, we know they're just curbs - blocky, rectangular, curbs.  But in fact they are part of the historic and visual character of our public space, much like the brick roads that peak out from underneath the asphalt.  At one time probably all of downtown's curbs were made of granite, and gradually over the years they've been torn-up, sent to a landfill and replaced with concrete.  The blocks you see were probably quarried locally (by hand) around 100 years ago, and are either Silver Lake granite, quarried out near Medical Lake, or Little Spokane granite which was quarried up north near the Little Spokane River.  Next time you're walking about keep your eyes out for the last remaining ones...

Comments

[gillsans]

I've noticed the granite curbs too. I have a feeling that quite a few of the granite slab curbs have made their way to the houses of concrete contractors.

[Silent Bahb]

My home was built in '38. Along the street out front is about 5 feet of old granite curb. The rest is poured concrete, OLD poured concrete but concrete just the same. I always like to find more of it still doing it's job around town.