If the Johnston Building could talk, Don Johnston knows it would have hundreds of stories to tell.
He was there for many of them.
“I’ll tell you, there’s a lot of history to that building,” he said Monday. “I’m sure it served its purpose at the time.”
At nearly 120 years old, the Johnston Building at Second Street and Sherman Avenue is one of the oldest structures in downtown Coeur d’Alene. With a view of Lake Coeur d’Alene, it most recently served as the home to professionals in banking, real estate, design and finance.
It was purchased by Ivan Johnston in the late 1940s and later passed on to his sons, Don and Bob, who managed and improved it along with other properties their father owned.
Don did much of the work himself, while Bob handled the business side.
“It was a big part of our lives,” Don Johnston said.
But on Monday, its trademark screens were removed and the building was surrounded by fencing and
Johnston Building in downtown Coeur d’Alene making way for Sherman Tower
