Tom Adkison’s greatest gift to Spokane

Photojournalist Jesse Tinsley’s tribute to Tom Adkison and Spokane Riverfront Park’s Theme Stream brought back fond memories of planning Expo ‘74 and its residual park.

Accolades of appreciation for Tom’s work always seems inadequate in that his greatest gift to Spokane doesn’t lie in any specific architectural park feature, but in his spirit of cooperation, mutual respect, inclusiveness, love of the city and the value placed on all those involved. This spirit of cooperation and respect carried through to negotiations with foreign and domestic exhibitors, exhibit designers, architects, landscape architects, engineers, builders, Expo ‘74 staff as well as business and political leaders.

Tom wanted the entire set-up to accommodate the disabled, strollers and people using walkers. This was sixteen years prior to ADA requirements becoming law. He also wanted a path, next to the water around the entire site.

Jesse Tinsley writes “The stream was one of the three new features that were intended to be preserved after the fair. The other two were the Washington state pavilion theater, now the First Interstate Center for the Performing Arts and the U.S Pavilion. Tinsley could have included the 1,700-foot-long South Channel development stretching from North wall to North Bernard, the Great Northern Tower, two suspension bridges, the fishing dock-style bridges across the South Channel, the long-span footbridge connecting the island to the north shore and the earth form over the North Washington Street tunnel.

Thanks Tom.

David Ellis Evans, chief site designer, Expo ‘74

Spokane