The historic Strahorn Pines building was purchased by the Eastern Washington Historical Society in 1970 and listed on the National Register on July 25, 1974.  The building was then demolished in the same year to make way for expanded facilities and more parking. The existing structure at this address (the Museum of Arts and Culture Exhibition building) is not listed on a historic register.

Constructed in 1887, this home was built and occupied by J.J. Browne and his family until 1900 when the house was purchased by Robert E. Strahorn and his wife Carrie Adell "Dell" Strahorn. The three-story building was then completely remodeled by architects K. Cutter and K. Malmgren into a twenty-room mansion with nine bathrooms and ten fireplaces. Said to be the first house in Spokane with steam heat, Strahorn Pines was said to also house a bowling lane. In 1929, the home and coach house were converted into eleven apartments, but a portion of the original decorations and furnishings were retained. The house was purchased by the Eastern Washington Historical Society in the 1970s. The home was demolished in the 1990s to make way for a new museum building. The Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture (MAC) is currently located on the former house site. First owned by J.J. Browne, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Strahorn purchased the home in 1900. Strahorn had been a writer covering the Sioux Wars in the Powder River Country. Eventually, Jay Gould hired Strahorn to publicize the benefits of the railroads and to promote westward expansion and settlement. Strahorn’s booster job evolved into research into the placement of rail extensions. Strahorn was a key figure in the railroad development in Spokane and the Inland Empire. He single-handedly built the North Coast Railway, connecting Spokane with Portland and the coast. After a lifetime of fortunes won and lost, Robert Strahorn died in San Francisco in 1944.

*Image courtesy of http://www.zentmeyergenealogy.com/