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

Historic substation to be demolished on West Plains

The historic brick Jamieson substation building on Electric Avenue is going to be demolished by Spokane International Airport to the dismay of some local residents.

The airport’s plan is to clear the 1905 building to make room for growth at the airport.

“They are trying to destroy this little bit of history that’s left,” said Donna Tatman, who grew up in the Hayford area a short distance to the west.

“I’ve been trying to save this building for months,” she said.

Chuck King, an owner of Nostalgia Magazine in the Inland Northwest, said, “It’s too bad it couldn’t be refurbished.”

The brick structure, a combination of two-story tower and one-story equipment area, was built by Washington Water Power Co., now Avista Corp., as a key piece of its historic interurban electrical trolley that ran from Spokane to Medical Lake and Cheney from 1905 to 1922.

The right of way was purchased by WWP from the Northern Pacific Railroad, which had obtained the route’s original 1889 steam train line of the Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern Railroad.

The electric trolley was popular in Spokane for providing a link to Medical Lake, a favorite destination for people wanting to escape the city, especially during summer, and to take advantage of the mineral water there.

The line was also important to farmers and other residents who used it for personal transportation and to carry goods to and from markets.

The swift shift from trolleys to auto and bus transportation in the 1920s quickly weakened interurban lines nationwide.

The substation housed equipment that converted 60-cycle alternating current to 600-volt direct current to power the trolley cars.

Last year, the Spokane Airport commissioned the Archaeological and Historical Services office at Eastern Washington University to perform a cultural resources survey.

The two authors of the survey concluded that the building and site had no cultural resources eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

The report found that “the water tank, the passenger shelter, the agent’s house, as well as the railroad bed, tracks, and electrical poles have been removed. The interior machinery and wiring have also been removed. The interior has been completely rebuilt, with new interior walls, built-in furnishings, and staircases.

“The only original interior features retained are the exposed brick of the outer shell of the building,” the report said.

Airport CEO Larry Krauter said the airport has offered to sell the building for $1 and contribute $20,000 toward moving it. However, one estimate indicated the moving cost would be $400,000, he said.

The $20,000 is the cost of demolition.

Krauter said that based on the cultural resources survey, he is satisfied “there is nothing that makes it historically significant.”

However, some of the bricks might be retained.

The building is located on an 18.6-acre parcel purchased by the airport in 2006 for $850,000.

Krauter said the airport master plan calls for using the land for a future hangar or other airport development.

Most recently, the building had been leased for offices by Associated Painters at the airport.

Over the years, it was used as a tannery and then as a House of Horrors. The haunted house was started in the 1960s by the Hagel family, which owned the property.

During World War II, it was reportedly used as a lookout.

Most recently, it was converted to offices.

“It’s very sad,” Tatman said about the imminent demolition. “I get so emotional with this.”