Then and Now: Riverside Theater
The early Spokane Civic Theater formed in 1946 after Spokane’s theater scene went dormant during World War II. But the group always struggled to find a permanent home. In the late 1940s, the group used a small building at 652 S. Denver, but neighbors didn’t like  the theater’s traffic. Gonzaga University let them use the old Canteen building, but it burned down in 1954. The resolute theater company announced a capital fundraising effort to build its own theater in 1955. Fundraising was slow and in 1957, the Civic Theater, later spelled “theatre,” signed a lease to make the Riverside Theater its home.
Section:Gallery
-
1962 - The Riverside Theater, formerly operated as the Casino and Granada Theater, served as the home of Spokane Civic Theatre from 1957 until around 1964. But the building was purchased by a large bank and the Civic had to move out. The theater company purchased land near the Spokane Coliseum and built a new home, which opened in 1966. The old theater and the two buildings to the east were torn down in 1966. The Pacific National Bank building opened there in 1968. It is now the Spokane Regional Business Center.
Spokesman-Review Photo Archive Sr
-
2018 - The 800 block of West Riverside Avenue was transformed in 1966 when the former Casino Theater and two other buildings were torn down and the modern Pacific National Bank was opened in 1968. Today, the former bank is the Spokane Regional Business Center with multiple tenants, including Greater Spokane Incorporated, the region's business development group. At right is the Genesee Building, which was recently remodeled with luxury apartments and retail space.
Jesse Tinsley The Spokesman-Review