Handle on business: 2 buildings to find place in CdA

For a while, the “Northwest Place” sign has been in the corner where Northwest Boulevard meets the Highway 95 offramp in Coeur d’Alene. So here are some of the details on what Northwest Place is.

Currently, two three-level commercial buildings are planned on the 4.1-acre site along Northwest Boulevard. Construction should begin soon on the northern, 36,345-square-foot building, and should be complete by the end of November. The second, 23,160-square-foot building will be finished six to 12 months later.

Two buildings, the Pines Motel and the I Dunno night club, were demolished on the site. The I Dunno building began as a Smitty’s Pancakes and was later the Pines Restaurant and Mad Mary’s Restaurant.

Constructed primarily of brick, metal and glass, the new buildings will be flat-roofed with verandas and views of the Spokane River. Builder is Polin & Young Construction.

Probable occupants of the north building include Countrywide Home Loans and North Idaho Title.

With 8,000 square feet on the third level, Countrywide will move from its current location in Riverstone with about 25 employees. Under the umbrella of Countrywide Financial, the company began in 1969, and its headquarters are in Pasadena, Calif. North Idaho Title plans to have 10,000 square feet on the second level. The 12-year-old company, a subsidiary of Mother Lode Holding Co., has three locations in Coeur d’Alene and Post Falls and will have about 50 employees in Northwest Place. The Coeur d’Alene office administers business for the company’s Idaho and Wyoming outlets. Northwest Place will be 20 percent retail (on the first floor) and 80 percent office and service companies. Spaces can range from 1,200 to 20,000 square feet. Owners are John and Ann Beutler of Century 21 Beutler & Associates Real Estate and Marshall Chesrown of Black Rock Development. For information, contact John Beutler or Trevor Young at (208) 765-5554.

Odd Fellows to move

Selling its historical building in downtown Coeur d’Alene, the local IOOF (Independent Order of Odd Fellows) fraternal organization has purchased and will move to the former C & N Auto Glass building at 1520 Government Way. The 4,500-square-foot building is being extensively remodeled.

The organization’s original building in the southeast corner of Fourth Street and Coeur d’Alene Avenue was built in 1923, burned, and was rebuilt in the late 1930s. The quarter-block building has three levels that include a large, high-ceilinged, hardwood-floor gathering room.

Cisco’s Antiques (Hunters of the Past) will expand from its building to the south into the IOOF building, which owners Sam Kennedy and Pat Alvarez have purchased. They hope to occupy the facility, with 6,000 square feet on the main floor and a 1,500-square-foot balcony, in June.

Specializing in old Western and lodge-style antiques and decor and original artwork, Kennedy and Alvarez came to North Idaho in 1996 from Clear Lake, Iowa, where they had an antique mall. People they met recommended coming to Coeur d’Alene, where Kennedy and Alvarez have shops in the CdA Resort Shoppes and on Fourth Street.

Dance Boutique opens

Supplies for many types of dance are the specialty of Coeur d’Alene Dance Boutique, now open next to Coeur d’Alene School of Ballet at 212 Spruce Ave. The inventory includes outfits, accessories and gifts for ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop and ballroom dance.

Originally from Paradise, Calif., owner Heather Grutta came to North Idaho with her family in 1992. She has danced since age 6 and now has a daughter in ballet. Shop hours are 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. weekdays and by appointment. Phone (208) 765-2741.