Long Gestation Is Bearing Fruit

Several years ago, public funds were staving off the forces of decay in downtown Spokane. A series of major projects deployed outposts of hope throughout the core: the new library, the Arena, the transit plaza, the train-bus depot, the Ag Trade Center, the higher education park at Riverpoint. … And, the federal urban renewal programs which made River Park Square possible.

All along, civic leaders aimed to start a chain reaction of private investment. Gradually, some investors did step forward. Thanks to the Sandifur family an old theater shook off many years of dust and became The Met, a community jewel. Thanks to Ron and Julie Wells and others, the neighborhood of the old Carnegie Library building came back to life.

Today, however, numerous private investment projects, large and small, are popping up all over the city. Particularly in areas once seemingly lost to social and economic decay. Public dollars do remain crucial, funding things like renovation of Lewis and Clark High School and the Cheney Cowles Museum. Still, the big news of recent months is, at last, a burst of interest in private-sector projects. This is more than a “downtown” issue. Metropolitan centers everywhere are a barometer for civic health. They can signal spreading decay, or a cycle of renewal. So, consider:

Walt and Karen Worthy have purchased the Davenport Hotel, the very heart of “old Spokane,” and are planning its renovation. One downtown development leader calls this project the “Holy Grail.” Its revival connects our past to our future.

The Spokane Symphony, the community’s premier fine arts organization, is investigating the purchase of the old Fox Theater, for conversion into a medium-sized concert facility.

Rob Brewster is constructing an upscale billiards hall in the Montvale Building at First and Monroe. He has plans for a restaurant next door, a small hotel on upper floors and a block of small retail shops along the alley behind it.

Thanks to the Wellses and Avista Corp., Steam Plant Square has opened, attracting diners to a trendy, post-industrial setting.

David Govedare, who sculpted the Bloomsday runners in Riverfront Park, is making a sculpture for the Lincoln Street tunnel.

The Hotel Lusso and Fugazzi Restaurant, thanks to owner Joe Dinnison, has created a thriving luxury attraction in a building that used to attract only litter to its once-vacant doorways.

The Spokane Regional Business Center provides a high-tech home for the Chamber of Commerce and economic development services.

KHQ Television is constructing a new facility in a neighborhood that used to make news for its crime rate.

There’s more to come. Suddenly, it makes sense to invest private dollars downtown - good news and no accident. Years of struggle and frustration brought us to this moment of hope.