Downtown Coeur d’Alene looking good

The city is retrofitting. It’s going back to the turn of the century – the 20th century that is. The buildings are being stripped down to the original brick walls. Going back, architecturally, is the way to the future for this town. Coeur d’Alene’s downtown never looked better.

Artists and their fine art are finding their way inside the buildings as well as other merchandise. If you haven’t walked the downtown streets and looked inside the shops for a while you will be surprised, maybe even shocked. You can see and have a sense of a new community. An art community has arrived and has been established.

The main downtown street is Sherman Avenue. In the 1860s the Mullan Trail passed through this area where Sherman Avenue exists today. The wagon trail was built to connect Fort Benton, Mont., with Fort Walla Walla

It’s hard to imagine the horse-drawn wagons, miners and soldiers that passed through what would become the town of Coeur d’Alene. It’s equally hard to imagine a Woolworth Store that served roast beef lunch specials downtown where today summer bands play in Sherman Square Park.

Later, Coeur d’Alene began seeing rapid population growth with the inevitable malls and big box stores. The growth nearly destroyed the downtown. It was doom-and-gloom times with many vacant and for-rent storefronts. Coeur d’Alene was following a national trend. But some businesses survived: Clarks Jewelry, The Sports Cellar, The Iron Horse Restaurant, Hudson’s Hamburgers, Everson and Clark Jewelry stores.

Now the downtown has been transformed into a vibrant, fun place to eat, shop and browse. Tourists certainly impact the downtown during the summer. But the local population is finding what their community has to offer all year. New eating establishments continue to open. Good food can be found on Sherman Avenue and the neighboring streets.

But the real surprises require a walk through downtown. The town has a strong art presence with some of the shops displaying artists and craftsmen working at their trade. The art that is displayed is a mix of local, Northwest and international talent. The word is out: Art lovers and buyers are flying from the West Coast to enjoy what the Coeur d’Alene city center has to offer. Discovering, exploring and experiencing the art galleries is part of the fun.

When exploring downtown, plan to commit most of one day to enjoy the galleries and shops. Plan to stay for lunch or dinner. Find out what the tourists are finding in our town. Listed below are 10 art locations that are within walking distance from each other. The name, address and a short description of what to expect inside each gallery will get you started:

“ Erlendson Art Glass – 116 E. Lakeside Ave., features hand-blown and sculpted glass created on the premises. Come watch the 2,000-year-old art of glass blowing while enjoying a beverage from their espresso bar.

“ Frame of Mind Gallery & Framing – 119 N. Second St. The hometown gallery has been serving North Idaho for 22 years. It features nostalgic paintings of Spokane and Coeur d’Alene by Carl Funseth and water colors by local artist Carrie Stuart Parks.

“ Eclectic Artisan’s Gallery – 211 Coeur d’Alene Ave., No. 101. A new gallery showcasing some of the finest local artists and crafters, featuring jewelry, candles, photography, spa products, dolls, pottery, oils and hand-sewn items.

“ Summer’s Glass – 211 Sherman Ave., a working fused-glass studio. Scheduled classes are from 1 to 8 p.m. on Thursdays and some other days, depending on the need. Drop-ins are welcome to participate or to watch.

“ Northwest Artists – 217 Sherman Ave. Shop for offerings from local and area craftsmen. The gallery features feather jewelry, crystals, blown, fused, and leaded glass, pottery, batik, wood items and fine art.

“ The Painter’s Chair Gallery – 223 Sherman Ave. This gallery offers the largest selection nationally of original oils by romantic impressionist Steven Shortridge. Jewelry is presented by their newest artist, master precious metal caster Michael Michaud.

“ Cisco’s Hunters of the Past – 212 Sherman Ave. “One-of-a-kind” investment quality art and artifacts are found at Cisco’s. They specialize in sporting and Western art by deceased artists as well as 19th century Indian and cowboy artifacts.

“ The Art Spirit Gallery – 315 Sherman Ave., exhibits a wide variety of creative, high-quality, original artwork. Each month, April though December, the gallery features work by a new artist of an invitational show, primarily regional artists.

“ Angel Gallery of Fine Art and Antiques – 423 Sherman Ave., features talented local artists, crafters, and distinct antiques.

“ Devin Galleries – 507 Sherman Ave. A large gallery featuring some of today’s most respected and collected artists as well as emerging talent. They offer original paintings, sculpture, prints, art glass and jewelry.

Coeur d’Alene’s downtown has an exterior look that goes back to the early 1900s while inside, artists use ageless creative methods to craft and display their works. This is a winning combination for any community.