Wender·Vista
Spokane Riverfront Park clock tower
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileWashington
on an island in the Spokane River, downtown

Spokane Riverfront Park clock tower

— — the depot's one surviving hour.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“The Great Northern Clock Tower stands alone where the railway depot stood until 1973. Expo '74 took the depot. The tower was left behind. The four clock faces still keep time over the river, the bell still rings the hour, and from the foot of the tower the Lower Falls run a hundred yards downstream. from the studio

from the studio
Spokane Riverfront Park clock tower
— bring it home

Spokane Riverfront Park clock tower, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Spokane Riverfront Park clock tower

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

The tower rises 155 feet from a small island at the centre of Riverfront Park, in downtown Spokane, Washington. It was completed in 1902 as the bell and clock of the Great Northern Railway depot, designed by the railway's in-house architectural staff. The depot was demolished in 1973 to make room for the 1974 World's Fair, Expo '74, which reshaped the riverfront into the park that exists today. The tower was kept as the one remaining piece of the station.

— the stone

The shaft is red brick over a stone base, with four clock faces each about nine feet across and a bronze bell of roughly 3,500 pounds in the upper chamber. The clockwork came from the Seth Thomas Clock Company of Thomaston, Connecticut, which produced most of the major American tower clocks of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The faces are illuminated at night and the bell still strikes on the hour, audible across the gorge when the river is low.

— the year

The tower has been a Spokane landmark for over a century, but its modern meaning comes from Expo '74, the first environmental world's fair and the smallest American city ever to host one. Spokane re-platted its central rail yards for the fair and kept the tower as the visual anchor of the new Riverfront Park. The bell is rung at New Year's, on the Fourth of July, and during the Spokane Lilac Festival's parade weekend each May, when the gorge fills with crowds.

— where
United States · Spokane, Washington
— within
Riverfront Park
— elevation
573 m · 1,880 ft
— position
47.6611° N · 117.4189° W
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
at the lake
Spokane Falls
waterfall
at the lake
Monroe Street Bridge
concrete arch bridge
at the lake
SkyRide
gondola
at the lake
Canada Island
river island
N
Spokane Riverfront Park clock tower
Spokane Falls
Monroe Street Bridge
SkyRide
Canada Island
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Spokane Riverfront Park clock tower — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

The Great Northern Clock Tower, a 155-foot red-brick tower in downtown Spokane, Washington. It is the only remaining piece of the 1902 Great Northern Railway depot, kept when the rest was demolished for Expo '74.

The depot and tower were completed in 1902 for the Great Northern Railway, which connected Spokane to St. Paul and Seattle. The clockwork was supplied by the Seth Thomas Clock Company of Thomaston, Connecticut.

Spokane cleared its central rail yards in 1973 to host Expo '74, the world's fair held the following summer. Most depot buildings came down; the tower was kept as the new park's visual landmark.

Yes. The four clock faces, each about nine feet across, are illuminated at night and keep accurate time. The original Seth Thomas clockwork still drives them, and the bronze bell still strikes on the hour.

On a small island in the Spokane River, near the centre of Riverfront Park, a few hundred feet upstream of the Lower Falls and just south of the Monroe Street Bridge.

The base is open every day with no charge. The interior is not regularly accessible. Riverfront Park surrounds the tower with paved paths and benches, and the falls and SkyRide are minutes away on foot.

— about the piece in your home

It is one of the most recognised silhouettes in the city. People who grew up in Spokane often associate the tower with childhood trips to Riverfront Park. A Small or Medium with a handwritten card carries well.

The red brick, copper-green roof, and warm clockface tones suit warm industrial, brownstone classic, and turn-of-the-century interiors. The piece reads well over a desk, in a study, or beside a bookshelf.

Yes. Warm industrial leans on brick reds, aged brass, and time-worn typography. The clock-tower piece carries all three. A single Medium tile holds the look on its own, and a four-tile Mural fills a longer wall.

Above a sofa, a single Large or a 4-tile Mural balances the wall. Above a console, a 9-tile Mural reads as one image at room scale, with the clock face roughly at eye level.

Yes. Choose the Dura Satin or Matte finish for any wet or high-touch space. The colour is slowly infused into the ceramic and rests beneath a thin protective layer, so steam and splash are fine.

A soft microfibre cloth with water is all the surface needs. Skip abrasives and ammonia-based cleaners. For kitchen and bath installs, a damp cloth handles steam and splash without sealant or wax.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is original to our studio. The eye is Reid Wender's, the finish is done in-house, and we do not license the imagery to other makers.

— if this one stayed with you

A few you might also love.

Hand-picked by the eye that found Sorapis. Same air, same kind of quiet.