Union Block Building
The Union Block building, home to the Steelhead Bar & Grille, was designed by Spokane architect Herman Preusse in the Italian Renaissance Revival style and constructed in 1890. Preusse, originally from Halle, Germany, studied at the Holzminden and oversaw the construction of the famous Bessemer steel works in Osnabruck before coming to America in 1870, and finally settling in Spokane in 1882. He later partnered with Julius Zittel, and together they designed the early buildings on both WSU and Gonzaga campuses, including St. Aloysius Church (St. Al’s).
The Union Block, is a three-story brick building with decorative granite-block detailing in the stripped Italianate Revival façade. The building features segmentally arched window openings, a flat parapeted roof with corbelling details at the cornice, engaged brick pilasters, and a rubble stone basement foundation. The ground floor archways and inset entries are from a later remodeling. Local rumor has it that the second and third floor office spaces have been vacant for over 40 years and are historically intact.
