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

The Dirt: Former Vien Dong restaurant home sold, to be renovated

April Cathcart enjoys a bowl of pho at the Vien Dong Vietnamese restaurant at 1703 E. Sprague Ave. on Sept 21, 2017. The Spokane City Council took action designed to speed up how quickly restaurants can get permission to operate on the sidewalk, street or parking lot. (Colin Mulvany / The Spokesman-Review)
By Nicholas Deshais and Amy Edelen The Spokesman-Review

A historic building on East Sprague Avenue that long housed the Vien Dong Vietnamese restaurant has been sold and will be renovated, according to city permit data.

The permitted window replacement work is valued at just $40,000, but it signals the beginning of new life for the building.

The 109-year-old structure was purchased for $560,000 in August by Steve Schmautz and his wife, Tresa. Schmautz has invested significantly in the neighborhood since the city aimed $18 million at it as part of its targeted investment program, which included a $4.3 million rehabilitation of the street.

In 2016, Schmautz purchased the Quality Garage building at 1919 E. Sprague Ave. and the Pilastro Building at 2012 E. Sprague Ave., next to the Bay Market. Both buildings have been substantially renovated and house antique stores. Schmautz is best known for his redevelopment of the American Legion building downtown and for his more recent renovation of the downtown building that houses the Spokane Comedy Club, Pinot’s Palette and Gamers Arcade Bar.

The “Framingham Building,” 1722 E. Sprague Ave., is a two-story brick building constructed in 1910 that was, in its early days, best known for housing the Barrett Manufacturing Co.

Barrett was a local furniture maker that “specialized in trendy, overstuffed furniture,” according to a 2016 survey of the East Central Neighborhood by Eastern Washington University students for the Historic Preservation Office for the City-County of Spokane.

Historical “ghost signs” for the company still adorn the building.

“The company, which was located on the corner of Sprague and Pittsburg, flourished in the 1920s and these signs likely date to that time,” according to the survey. “The Barrett ghost signs are for a neighborhood-specific business and not only help tell the story of East Central but of East Spokane as a whole: the founder of Barrett Manufacturing, DeRoy Barrett, moved to Spokane from a small town near Detroit in 1906, during Spokane’s explosive period of growth.”

As the building mirrored the decline of the surrounding neighborhood and fell into disrepair, it was purchased by the Tormino family, which owns Tormino’s Sash and Glass in the neighborhood.

Vien Dong closed its doors on East Sprague in 2018 and moved to a new location at 3435 E. Trent Ave. It’s unclear how long the restaurant had been in the Sprague building, but the family that owns the restaurant said it purchased it in 2005. – N.D.

North 40 Outfitters moves forward with plans for new retail location in Airway Heights

North 40 Outfitters is moving forward with plans to build a retail location on the West Plains.

The farm and ranch retailer is building a $6.5 million, 95,000-square-foot development at 9646 W. U.S. Highway 2 in Airway Heights, according to an application filed last month with the city.

The development will include a 75,600-square-foot retail building, a 1,000-square-foot space for offices, a lunch room and lockers and a 12,800-square-foot warehouse, according to the application.

Great Falls-based SIWAHH2 LLC – the project applicant – purchased the 16-acre site for more than $2.2 million in June, according to the Spokane County Assessor’s Office.

Coeur d’Alene-based Young Construction Group is the project contractor. H2A Architects is designing the project.

North 40 Outfitters sells farm and ranch supplies, auto accessories, apparel, hunting gear, tools and home and garden products. It has stores in Mead, Spokane and Coeur d’Alene. – A.E.

Explanatory signs to be intalled at sewer overflow tanks

Six signs describing how the city prevents sewage and stormwater from entering the Spokane River will be installed around town, according to permits issued by the city.

The signs, which declare “It’s All About the River,” will go up at the combined sewer overflow tanks the city has been building over the past decade. The locations are 902 E. Sprague Ave., 3792 W. Northwest Blvd., 2828 N. T.J. Meenach Drive, 3800 E. Upriver Drive, 2008 N. Pettet Drive and 1280 E. Third Ave.

Each sign has a visual portrayal of how sewer and stormwater is collected and stored before being treated and released into the river.

Permits list the cost of sign installation at $10,000. Baldwin Signs, of Spokane, is doing the work. – N.D.

Contact Nicholas Deshais at (509) 459-5440 of nickd@spokesman.com.

Amy Edelen may be reached at (509) 459-5581 or at amye@spokesman.com.