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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883
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Two new skywalks open on old Macy’s building

The skywalk from the historic Bennett Block, at right, now connects to the former Macy’s building and allows foot traffic to go from River Park Square to the Bennett Block and the Parkade without going outside. (Jesse Tinsley / The Spokesman-Review)
The skywalk from the historic Bennett Block, at right, now connects to the former Macy’s building and allows foot traffic to go from River Park Square to the Bennett Block and the Parkade without going outside. (Jesse Tinsley / The Spokesman-Review)Buy a print of this photo
By Nicholas Deshais nickd@spokesman.com(509) 459-5440

Second-story pedestrians, rejoice. Spokane’s skywalk system is whole again.

Two skywalks connecting to the old Macy’s building, constructed at a cost of $800,000, opened last month with no fanfare. The glassy new walkways, which connect mid-block to the glassy new residential tower, replace connections that had been gone since Macy’s closed more than two years ago.

The previous upper-level path traced through the department store’s second story, by its watches and through women’s apparel, only to emerge on the building’s south face, headed toward the Bennett Block and Parkade.

Now, a beige hallway cuts through the middle of what’s called the M, a building with 114 residential units that houses the Nike outlet store on the street level.

For walkers looking to do some window shopping, keep looking. The unadorned hallway is a simple path with no signage, no directory and definitely no windows.

Calls to Centennial Properties, which owns the building, seeking comment about the skywalks were unsuccessful. Centennial Properties is a subsidiary of the Cowles Co., which also owns The Spokesman-Review and River Park Square.