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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Winery moving into Chronicle Building

Nodland Cellars owner Tim Nodland has announced that his business is moving into the ground floor of the Chronicle Building in downtown Spokane with plans for a tasting room, jazz club and eventually a restaurant. Nodland made the announcement Friday evening to guests gathered at his current tasting room at 11616 E. Montgomery Drive in Spokane Valley. “Everyone is excited about a jazz club,” he said. He said the Chronicle Building at 926 W. Sprague Ave. is in the heart of the expanding arts and entertainment district on the west side of downtown, making it a great location for his expansion plans. “The whole rejuvenation of the west side is exciting,” Nodland said. The tasting room and club will be located across Sprague from the Knitting Factory, near the Martin Woldson Theater at the Fox and a block west of the Davenport Hotel. It will become part of a growing cluster of wineries and wine tasting rooms in the downtown area. The property is part of Cowles Co. holdings through its Centennial Properties subsidiary. Cowles Co. is the owner of The Spokesman-Review. A spokesman for Centennial Properties was not immediately available for comment. On his Facebook page, Nodland announced that “after three months of negotiations, Nodland Cellars has entered a lease with the owners of Chronicle Building in downtown Spokane with the intent of opening a new tasting room and jazz club.” Nodland said he needs approvals from the state Liquor Control Board and other government agencies before he can begin making improvements to accommodate his plans. He said on his Facebook page that he hopes to open early next year. The space is 1,700 square feet. Customers will enter through the ornate main entrance to the Chronicle Building, passing through hand-carved oak doors with stained glass art work. The well-preserved entry lobby is well-decorated with period lighting, woodwork and marble. The building was completed in 1928 and housed the former Spokane Chronicle newspaper, which ceased publication in 1992. The building was designed by renowned Spokane architect Kirtland Cutter and partner Karl Malmgren. Nodland started making wine at his home in 1999 and was so successful in competitions that he decided to launch Nodland Cellars in 2005. Nodland, a personal injury attorney, is also a guitarist and has worked as a talent agent. He said he plans to use his experience in the music industry to draw top musicians locally and nationally. “We have a jazz community that is world class,” he said. His winemaking employs a fermentation process that starts with natural yeast found on grape skins, which is then followed by a commercial yeast typically used in modern winemaking. Nodland wines have won awards and recognition from top wine publications. Last year, his private selection wine was named to the platinum wine list by Wine Press Northwest magazine, he said. He said his current tasting room will be closed and turned into additional production space so that he can expand from his current output of about 1,000 cases a year.