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

Equipment supplier moving to Riverwalk

The group redeveloping a historic building that once housed Bayou Brewery Co. is starting construction this week after landing a sizable tenant.

Lincare Inc., a Clearwater, Fla.-based company that supplies medical equipment for in-home treatment, will lease the 13,000-square-foot upper floor of Riverwalk, said David Birge, who is developing the project with Mark Baier and Gavin Swenson. After the work is complete, Lincare will move its Rock Pointe office to Riverwalk, 1007 E. Trent Ave. Lincare’s other local offices will stay where they are.

Lincare had $1.8 billion in assets March 31, according to the company’s recent balance sheet.

Another Riverwalk tenant, Dry Fly, a new business that distills whiskey, will open in 3,000 square feet on the north end of the building, Birge said.

Tenant improvements on the second floor will cost $1 million to $1.5 million, Birge estimates, and will include creating a new entrance, building an elevator and stairway and framing in some offices, although most of the space will remain open.

Lincare wanted to maintain the historic flair inside the building, Birge said. Existing skylights will be refurbished and red brickwork and cement columns and floors left intact. “We praise them for being able to see what this building could be in a finished, restored state,” he said. “It’s going to be a really cool workplace.”

Work will modernize, and enhance, the current building.

“We want it to be efficient, but they just don’t make buildings like this anymore,” Birge said.

The 94-year-old red brick building sits next to the Spokane River and once housed Cascade Laundry Co., which pumped water from the river for its operation. Although many remember the building because it housed Bayou Brewery, a New Orleans-themed restaurant with cobblestone walkways and views of the river, city and county records show that the structure dates to 1913, when it was home to Cascade.

In the 1940s, the building was home to United Truck Lines, and in the 1960s it housed the Dorsey Bus Service.

Spokane companies Nystrom Olson and Collins Inc. architects and Bouten Construction Co. are working on the redevelopment project, Birge said, and the second-floor renovation should be completed by the end of the year. Some 27,000 square feet remain available for lease in the 75,800-square-foot complex, which already is home to several businesses, including Riverview Thai Restaurant.

Riverwalk has more than 180 parking spaces in two lots, Birge said. Parking is available for businesses that lease space.