Recently, I had the pleasure of welcoming another family into Gonzaga’s Spires Society, which honors those who have supported the University and its students with donations totaling one million dollars or more. It’s always a meaningful moment when we get to present Spires Society initiates with their piece of the larger Ignatian art that was specially created to celebrate this exceptional generosity, and to have them sign the membership document that will live on in the University’s archives. This most recent visit got me wondering about the spires of St. Al’s Parish church, for which this special group is named.
According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, a spire is an architectural feature of a “steeply pointed pyramidal or conical termination to a tower,” which first appeared in the 12th century. Primarily developed in England, France, and Germany, most spires we see in America are modeled after the designs of 17th century English architect Sir Christopher Wren. Spires were especially popular during the Gothic Revival period of the 1840s, 50s, and 60s.
Designed by architecture firm Preusse & Zittle of Spokane, the building is considered to have an “adapted Romanesque style,” which had been popular in England. The building was a replacement for a small, wooden church (pictured above) that had been erected in 1892. The two-year construction project costing $176,125 began in 1909—the same year that the Federal Building opened in downtown Spokane. St. Al’s was dedicated October 12, 1911, at the beginning of Gonzaga’s 25th jubilee year, which also marked the year that Gonzaga College became Gonzaga University.
The spires of St. Al’s rise 164 feet above ground level, with ten-foot crosses atop each one—each cross bearing forty bulbs illuminating it at night. One of the spires is home to a bell named “Catherina,” which can be heard from nearly as many places as the spires can be seen towering over Spokane. The University’s annual adopted the name The Spires in 1945 and a quarterly alumni and friends newsletter called Spireside was launched in 1956. The spires made their official debut as an institutional mark in 1984, while the logo in use today was introduced in 2002.