Demolition Can Proceed Downtown Work Can Start In West Block Of River Park Square Project

River Park Square’s developers said Monday that they’ve received a city permit that allows them to tear down the downtown shopping center’s west block.

“Today officially begins the demolition process for the next phase of the River Park Square project,” said Betsy Cowles, president of both companies that own the shopping center.

“With the recent opening of Eddie Bauer and now that the demolition permit has been issued, I’m excited that people will see this project as a reality,” Cowles said.

Cowles would not say when the demolition will actually begin, but said people will begin to see signs of it within the next two weeks.

Beginning next Wednesday, parts of Lincoln, Main and Spokane Falls Boulevard will be barricaded to make room for construction crews removing fixtures from inside the shopping center.

Lincoln will be reduced to one lane from Main to Spokane Falls. One lane of Main and half of one lane on Spokane Falls Boulevard also will be cut off to traffic.

Workers also will remove the skywalks that connect the west block of River Park Square to the Spokane Public Library and to the Burlington Coat Factory within the next few weeks.

The $100 million River Park Square project is expected to open in mid-1999. It will include a new Nordstrom store, a multi-plex cinema, expanded parking, a covered atrium over Post Street and numerous shops and restaurants.

The demolition process should take about four months, said Terry Goebel, vice president of Goebel Construction.

The demolition also will cause a downtown business to close for one to two years.

Anderson and Emami Men’s Clothiers, at Main and Post, will close within the next few months. The company, which has been downtown for 12 years, will continue operating in its current location as demolition begins, then a temporary downtown site to liquidate the rest of its merchandise. That location hasn’t been announced. The men’s clothing store will reopen in its current location at Main and Post when the new River Park Square opens. “We’re looking forward to reopening in a revitalized downtown Spokane,” said co-owner Gary Anderson.

River Park Square is owned by Lincoln Investment Co. and Citizens Realty Co., affiliates of Cowles Publishing Co., owner of The Spokesman-Review.

, DataTimes