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 "Road Closed" and "Detour" signs as part of preparations to clear it for the 15-story Sherman Tower.

Owned by the Hagadone Corp., it will offer 139 rooms, a 6,000-square-foot restaurant with a seasonal rooftop bar, 4,000 square feet of retail and office space and a detached three-level parking structure.

The next-door former home of Bonsai Bistro and MoMo Sushi was already demolished. Sherman Tower is expected to open in 2027. 

According to information provided by the Museum of North Idaho, the Coeur d'Alene Bank and Trust Company's building was one of several Inland Empire banks owned by a brother of prominent Spokane banker J.J. Browne. He commissioned architect Willis A. Ritchie to design it in 1905.

“The building later served as offices for the Interstate Telephone Company and has undergone severe alteration over the years,” the report said. 

Walter Burns, chair of Coeur d’Alene’s Historic Preservation Commission, said they saved two vault bank doors in the Johnston Building that may date back to its origin. 

The doors, weighing about 2,500 pounds each, will be removed and stored.

Burns said he’s not sure where the vault doors will end up, perhaps on display in the second phase of the new home of the Museum of North Idaho.

“We just had to make sure they didn't go to the junkyard," he said Monday.

Burns said he toured the building recently and saw it had been modernized. It underwent an extensive remodel in 2013. 

“It’s not what it was, but those vault doors stood out,” he said.  

The vault doors came from a time when Coeur d’Alene was experiencing significant growth, Burns said, and the bank played a central part.

“We can still tell the story of that building and what it represented, the history of it because we have those doors,” Burns said. 

Last year, the Coeur d’Alene City Council unanimously adopted a new section in the Historic Preservation Code creating a demolition review process for historic residential and commercial structures built before 1960.  

Burns previously told The Press it protects history without infringing on property rights. It’s more of a chance to determine if there might be a way to save it, salvage some of it or at least take some photos. 

He said the new code passed in November didn’t apply to the Johnston Building because the demolition permit was already approved by the city.

The Hagadone Corp. purchased the building in 1999. Recent tenants included Hagadone Directories, Blue 541, Hagadone Media and Creative, Coldwell Banker Schneidmiller Realty, The Buoy Boys and Alliant Employee Benefits.

Don Pischner of Coeur d'Alene enjoyed working with Don Johnston when they installed the building's screens around 1980. 

“Just the two of us, every single piece,” he said.

Pischner said the late architect R.G. Nelson had an office in the Johnston Building and designed its makeover from mostly apartments to offices. His vision included the aluminum screens and framework that extended a few feet from the building.

“He is a visionary. Look what he did with The Coeur d’Alene Resort,” Pischner said.

The screens, which had to be clipped together in a detailed process, offered shade and a distinctive appearance. Pischner said it was a difficult job but he loved it.

“It was one of the most fun jobs I’ve ever had,” he said. 

He said he learned a great deal from Don Johnston, who was like a big brother to him. They later worked on other remodeling projects together. 

“He believed he could do anything,” Pischner said. 

Don Johnston, who today lives in a retirement home, said he’ll miss the Johnston Building but understands it couldn’t stand forever. 

“It’s time, I guess. There’s quite a few changes in the downtown," he said. “That’s progress.” 

    The Johnston Building will be demolished this week.