1898 downtown Spokane block rebuilt from a deadly fire that killed seven, including children
10 N Post St, Spokane, WA 99201
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Exterior is freely viewable from Riverside and Post Street. The building houses private offices and commercial tenants; lobby access depends on current tenants and business hours.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Paved downtown sidewalks at a busy corner
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1898 · National Register of Historic Places · Spokane Register of Historic Places · 1898 Great Eastern Building Fire · Cutter & Malmgren Architecture
The Great Eastern Building stood five stories at the corner of Riverside Avenue and Post Street, with stores and offices on the lower floors and apartments above. On the night of January 23, 1898, a fire began in the basement, which housed the John W. Graham & Co. store selling books, stationery, wallpaper, and photographic supplies. The blaze climbed the central light well and tore through the upper floors where residents were sleeping. Seven people died.
Colonel Isaac N. Peyton, born in Illinois in 1842 and a Spokane resident since 1881, purchased the gutted structure. He hired the prominent Spokane firm of Cutter & Malmgren to rebuild a new commercial block on the remaining walls. The result, completed in 1898, carried his name carved above the main entrance, with the initial 'P' worked into each pilaster.
In 1908 the adjoining Peyton Annex was added, designed by architect Robert C. Sweatt, on a corner that became known locally as 'the million-dollar corner.' Together the buildings are among the large historic commercial structures still in use in downtown Spokane today, holding offices and ground-floor retail. Both are listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the Spokane Register of Historic Places.
Sources
The Peyton Building's paranormal reputation rests on the deaths that happened where it stands. The fire that destroyed the Great Eastern Building in January 1898 killed seven people, and accounts in local coverage note that children were among the dead.
Workers carrying out renovations in the building have reported the smell of smoke with no identifiable source, frantic pounding behind doors that were locked, and the sound of children crying in empty corridors. These accounts appear in Spokane news coverage of haunted downtown sites and in the narration of commercial ghost tours that include the block on their route.
None of the activity is documented in any formal investigation report, and the building's day-to-day life is that of a working downtown office address. The stories persist largely because the recorded history under them is real: the fire, the location, and the count of the dead are matters of public record.
Notable Entities
The Peyton Building anchors the corner of Riverside Avenue and Post Street in downtown Spokane. The carved name 'Peyton' sits above the main entrance and the initial 'P' repeats on the pilasters. The block is a stop on local downtown heritage walks and on commercial Spokane ghost tours; the interior holds private offices, so most visitors view it from the street.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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