Amman Apartments

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Prominent architect Albert Held designed the Amman Apartment building. Albert Held was raised in Minnesota, where he attended the University of Minnesota's Architecture program. Albert Held initially pursued a career after graduation, and moved to Spokane in the wake of the great fire of 1889, sensing opportunity for a young architect. Albert Held became one of Spokane's prominent architects in the early 20th century, designing a wide range of buildings from the Marshall Wells Warehouse, to luxury apartments such as the Knickerbocker. Albert Held also became a prominent member of society and was appointed to the post of Park Commissioner. Since Albert Held was here after the fire, many of his structures put an emphasis on being 'fire proof' so that the city would not burn down twice. One way to create fire proofing at this time was to use reinforced brick construction. Albert Held's buildings used many different structural styles, one of the most important advancements to buildings at this time was construction using reinforced concrete supports with a brick exterior. Many of Albert Held's buildings are still standing and, including the Amman Apartments, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.