Courthouse restoration work draws to close
More than $1 million in historic restoration work is nearly complete at the Spokane County Courthouse, which will result in new lobby locations for the county’s auditor, treasurer and assessor offices.
The work upgraded the 122-year-old building’s historic foundation and its 10,000-square-foot lobby, said Gil Haubert, facilities director for the county.
After some minor floor repairs, all that’s left to do is move the offices into the new space, Haubert said.
Ground was broken for the courthouse in 1893 following a design contest for the building, which was won by a 29-year-old W.A. Ritchie. County officials moved into the ornate iron and brickwork French Renaissance-style building in 1895.
According to county records, the building was updated in 1985, but in 2006, the central tower underwent a $2 million renovation covered in part by a state grant from the Department of Archeology and Historic Preservation.
The lobby work was also financed in part by a grant from the preservation office, Haubert said.
Design for the lobby renovation was done by Leif Hanson, an architect at Stantec Inc., of Spokane. The general contractor was Norcon Inc., which is based in Chicago. The Spokane office of Coffman Engineers did the structural engineering.
Sushi restaurant planned for Kendall Yards
Work continues to make Kendall Yards in Spokane’s West Central neighborhood a destination for dining. The latest restaurant tenant will be Umi Sushi, in space it will share with the newly opened Maryhill Winery Tasting Room, 1309 W. Summit Parkway.
Improvements to the 2,700-square-foot restaurant shell will run to $100,000, according to permits issued by the city.
According to plans, the restaurant will be two floors, with about 1,700 square feet of space on the lower level, which will have patio seating and dining.
The sushi restaurant will join Central Food, Wandering Table, Veraci Pizza and Yards Bruncheon in the growing neighborhood. My Fresh Basket, Craftsman Cellars, Nectar Wine and Beer, Solace Mead and Cider, Paper and Cup, and Brain Freeze Creamery also are located in the development.
Umi Sushi will be run by HLH Food Ventures LLC, of Spokane, which is partly controlled by Scott Hoefer, a radiologist at Inland Imaging, and John Heath III, president and chief operating officer at Washington Trust Bank.
The project’s general contractor is Kilgore Construction, of Colbert. The design is done by Spokane’s Uptic Studios.
South Hill dry cleaner plans repairs after arsons
Following two arsons in the span of a month, a dry cleaning store and laundromat on Spokane’s South Hill has been issued permits for $200,000 in repair work, according to city records.
The first fire at Beacon Cleaners, 3112 S. Grand Blvd., occurred the night of Aug. 11 and led to a firefighter being seriously injured when he fell from a ladder while battling the blaze.
The second fire was in the early morning hours of Sept. 7. That fire damaged the back of the building, a trailer in the parking lot and a telephone pole.
Work to repair the roof, heating and cooling system and building’s trusses will be done by Burke’s Klein’s DKI, a Post Falls general contractor that specializes in fire, wind and water damage.