Developers Unveil Riverwalk Project Entertainment Complex Will Mimic New Orleans

As thousands of people pour into New Orleans this weekend for the frenzy of Mardi Gras, Steve Livingstone is working to bring that same flavor to Spokane.

Livingstone and partner Tom Vincent plan to build a New Orleans style entertainment promenade complete with a microbrewery, virtual reality gameroom, 5,000-square-foot music hall and riverside walkway. All of this would be in a 70,000 square foot commercial complex just east of Trent and Hamilton.

Their company, RiverWalk, targets an opening date of Aug. 1. Work grading the parking lot already has begun. Renovations to the facades of the aging buildings will begin next week.

“Every (Friday and Saturday) night at 11:30 the bands will play ‘When the Saints go marching in,’ confetti cannons will go off, and it’s Mardi Gras,” Livingstone said.

Livingstone owns Spokane’s three Bumpers Fun Castles in NorthTown Mall, University City Shopping Center and Riverfront Park. In addition to Vincent, Livingstone has three other partners, who he did not want to identify.

Vincent is one of the two former owners of Spokane Builders Supply. He sold the business and retired last January.

The $5 million RiverWalk project also is financed by loans from Washington Trust and Inland Northwest Banks, Livingstone said.

Livingstone anticipates employing between 60 and 70 people.

Right now, envisioning the transformation at 1007 E. Trent is a stretch. Madison’s Outback, a car repair and parts shop that now occupies the 20,000-square-foot building on the north side of the complex, is stacked ceiling-high with old car parts. Windows are broken and walls throughout the complex are covered with grime.

But soon, Livingstone said, that building will be transformed into Bayou Brewing Co., a 25-barrel microbrewery. Also planned for the first phase of the development is a Cajun restaurant, a bar and lounge called the Hurricane, a 5,000-square-foot music hall, a virtual reality gameroom, bakery, espresso shop and billiards hall.

“This is meant to be state-of-the-art adult entertainment,” Livingstone said.

The location has promise. It’s in the center of a major north-south thoroughfare and just off Interstate 90. Also, a few blocks west on Trent, increasing numbers of young people are due to pour into the Riverpoint Higher Education Park - a satellite campus for local colleges - in coming months. Five hundred students began classes in January and another 500 are expected in the fall. Gonzaga University also is located nearby.

The entire 3-acre complex, including 150 parking spaces, is fronted by Trent to the south, Columbus to the west, Springfield to the north and the Spokane River to the east. RiverWalk’s offices are located in what used to be the Lucky Penny Tavern.

The second stage of the plan includes renovating the other 50,000 square feet into office space, art galleries, bookstores, and cafes. The focus is arts and entertainment, Livingstone said.

RiverWalk also has plans for its namesake - a quarter-mile long riverside promenade possibly stretching from the Centennial Trail to his property. The rear of the complex will have open windows and patios with river access.

An artist’s rendering of the project shows a building facade with balconies dripping with Spanish moss and a walkway inset with cobblestone, reminiscent of New Orleans’ famous Bourbon Street.

In addition to Spokane, Livingstone plans two other locations of his Bayou Brewing Co. for Seattle and Toronto. Livingstone, who used to own Livingstone Winery where Caterina Winery now is, also plans to make wine in the brewery.

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