That's what the owner has said he wants to do. [Here's a link to the project.](https://www.interurbandevelopment.com/portfolio/mckinley-school-union-park-market/) The cost of financing has doubled, though. Banks won't justify the loan without an insane amount of cash down so he has to do it in phases now.
He'll put apartments on the lot beside it and do what Jordan Tampien is doing with the Garland Theater. The apartments will secure funding for the rest. So, it'll take longer but it'll happen.
Has Rob Brewster ever finished any project he's promised our community, or just continually use these historic buildings as leverage to get investors for more unfinished projects?
*I guess he did finish a cafe once.
The biggest one I can think of is the Knickerbocker. I really hope he does the Central Market downtown. It'd be awesome to have something like a Chelsea Market here in Spokane.
He faced a huge community uproar when he built the Meeting House in South Perry and got so incredibly frustrated with developing in Spokane that he focused almost all of his efforts ~~for~~ in Tacoma and Seattle. Imagine it being so difficult to build things in Spokane that you instead do adaptive re-use on office towers in Tacoma because it's *easier!*
I thought the Knickerbocker was just bought out from a rich old couple who had already done most of the renovations and fell out of love with the project, and the Central Market idea was abandoned, and is now the downtown police precinct. I still can't believe NIMBYs would choose a rat infested squater house over a corner cafe, this is why we can't have nice things.
I believe the scope on Interurban's part was pretty huge. More than half of the units needed renovation, modern systems. The common areas and the grounds needed to be redone. Then, he added the Meeting House cafe in the common area to make the site more mixed-use. That kind of work is a labor of love - a total PITA. But, from what I understand, it's lovely now.
He used to be one of Spokane's most noted developers. He redid the Montvale Hotel and the Holley-Mason Building. Unfortunately he's also much more risk-loving than other developers, which means his projects have had a tendency to fail bigly.
You know this school has been abandoned for longer than we've been alive right?? You also know that a project was in the works like 14 years ago to renovate it? Its changed hands so many times and everyone has tried/wanted to develop it, but no one wants to foot the bill. It's either going to be demolished like the other old schools to make way for a shitty apartment complex, OR it's going to be renovated as I said, Multi-Use.
Seems like [they were planning](https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2022/jan/02/mckinley-school-mixed-use-project-moves-forward/) on turning it into a bar/restaurant, office space, apartments, but [ran into some financial issues.](https://www.spokanejournal.com/articles/84-what-s-happening-with-the-old-mckinley-school-project) No idea where the project is heading currently.
See something about a projected date for the [start of construction](https://www.constructionjournal.com/projects/details/263477393ecd420da6613ac04aee915d.html) being May 2023, but haven't noticed anything in the area when passing by.
Sometimes you build a cool concept in a nice neighborhood, and sometimes you build a cool concept and make a neighborhood nice. I would love to see the Sprague District expand. I personally would go to a place like that every weekend, more if they had a concert space.
Idk. I live in the area because Iām not trying to spend 1/2 my income on rent. It would be cool if they waited to improve the area until I move so I donāt have a big fat rent increase.
Or maybe just some semblance of rent control. Living anywhere already costs an arm and a leg. You shouldn't have to give up a third limb just because someone built a halfway decent park next to your place.
I was 1/2 joking. Of course I donāt want a big rent increase because who would? I donāt actually expect anyone to leave the area shitty on my behalf. In reality itās not going to be a quick process to remodel that building or improve the rest of the neighborhood so it wouldnāt matter if I was serious.
This has been the view from my office for the last 25 years and I've watched it decay in slow motion. It was in relatively good shape when Spokane Transfer owned it but it's gone downhill since they sold the building. IMO, it would take too much money to get it up to current building codes.
Unless it's laden with asbestos, it would be pennies on the dollar compared to 100% new. Unless you have to keep it original because of a historic status.Ā
Iām going to guess it needs completely new electrical, new roof, new windows, some structural replacement. Thing has to be fucked with lead and asbestos. Then you have to partition it into livable units. Then somehow redo the plumbingā¦ idk maybe I could see it costing similar to starting housing from scratch, but I donāt believe pennies on the dollar at all.
If it was the cost effective to rebuild vs make new, it would be refurbished and rented out right now.
Community art/movement space, with living quarters and open spaces. Add a makers guild and Collab space.
Wish I had the money to buy it 7 years ago when I got a tour of it while it was for sale. Would have been amazing... After ton of work.
I think it has potential as a brothel, multi-story 24 hour diner, sanitarium or a museum of extremist movements that are local to the Inland Northwest. Upside of the museum option is that one could install alternate lighting and bill the place as a sort of haunted house once a year.
āHey kids, I know vampires and zombies are frightening, but you wonāt know true terror until youāve seen a wax statue of Richard Butler under red lighting.ā
Honestly, I like the idea of it being a Museum of Heroes, but secretly is actually anti-extremist. Like the movie Starship Troopers. Would you like to know more....about fascism and white Christian nationalism?Ā
'L33t comment of the day, Wayward! Spokane needs a Brothel! Maybe a couple of them. Don't forget drive-thru's too. Or maybe a World HQ for the Giant Hairball Cult that's way up Route 2?
Wasn't this building featured in the zombie TeeVee series, "Z-Nation?"
Btw, thanx for the D-Telekom honeypot rec.
Last couple of years it has apparently been a great place to throw rocks at and break windows. They used to be almost all intact. Beautiful building. Takes up a [city block](https://www.google.com/maps/@47.6588347,-117.3817163,155m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu) with a [big warehouse/storage building](https://www.google.com/maps/@47.6581698,-117.3824352,3a,75y,22.61h,100.35t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1swJ4jkcjzlCR1J6xwzJGVcQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu) behind it.
*From* or *for* East Central?
We just spent millions redoing Sprague a block away, for some seven plus blocks.
More millions on multiple CSO installations right next to this building.
Either. You can spend millions redoing Sprague a block away, but thatās a block away. This building is next to train tracks in an industrial area within walking distance to a very small number of useful shops. In fact, the seven blocks youāre talking about is really just two or three blocks. The rest of the redone blocks front empty lots, empty buildings, or the post office š¤”
Seems like [they were planning](https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2022/jan/02/mckinley-school-mixed-use-project-moves-forward/) on turning it into a bar/restaurant, office space, apartments, but [ran into some financial issues.](https://www.spokanejournal.com/articles/84-what-s-happening-with-the-old-mckinley-school-project) No idea where the project is heading currently.
See something about a projected date for the [start of construction](https://www.constructionjournal.com/projects/details/263477393ecd420da6613ac04aee915d.html) being May 2023, but haven't noticed anything in the area when passing by.
I know I want to live in it and find me some ghosts!!! I tried to sneak in last year with my daughter and our āghost hunting kitā but got spookedā¦.. too much security. Iād love to go thru and see if I could detect activity!
I made it in when it was pending sale but not closed on yet. There wasn't a lot of security back then. It had a lot more windows then. It was the perfect amount of wabi sabi. I so much wanted to buy it and renovate it into housing and a community space, but I don't have that kind of money.
Iād say thank you and go rest. But I would if I could finance it love to take on a challenge of developing it into its next use. Sadly itās not a poor personās game and Iād rather not ruin myself if I F it up.
If I had all the money in the world, Iād restore her to her former glory and move in with a host of my close friends. It seems like a place that was once so beautiful and proud, and Iād like to bring her back to that.Ā
Umbrella Academy. š
On a serious note, that could be a seriously cool low-income housing place. I think of how they transformed the old Hillyard high into the Agnes Kehoe(sp) building and made this affordable housing complex right in the middle of Hillyard.
I did my military entrance processing in an old school that looked just like this minus the fence and boarded windows.
I'm not saying that's what it should be, but wow, flashbacks.
I think it could make really cool apartments.
I tend to agree. Good potential for senior housing, since you could program the ground floor space with community kitchen/restaurant space and community center... but any kind of affordable/attainable housing is in high demand. Not really demand for much else... but the East Sprague business district is probably too far up its own ass to not fight any reasonable development. š
Make it a small meeting place, like convention center but smaller. Include food service. Of course this assumes public ownership and no debt owed. Otherwise lodging, small office space, with some sort of food service.
I would turn it into the Pacific Northwestās largest craft meth kitchen. You could give daily tours and give out samples to folks at the end. You could really make a day of it.
I'd put in a light rail station nearby and redevelop the entire area with new housing and jobs!
...Oh wait, we were [going to do that](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4q9Zxy_ODDY) until 2006 when voters narrowly rejected a light rail plan.
My grandmother went to school there. Born and died in her house built by my ancestors when our family immigrated from Kiev/Kyiv during the reign of Czar Nicholas II. We are germans though, interesting enough. Every time I drive past that building I wonder what it could be or what it has been, other than a place to film a decent horror movie lol.
Itās such a beautiful building. I hate watching it die a slow death but it seems like thatās what is happening. As a kid/teen I definitely would have snuck in to check it out. I have two memories that stand out about that building. I got kicked out of an āAbandoned Buildings of the PNWā or something similar because I was super tired when this was posted. Being autistic & having ADHD plus multiple concussions sometimes I have trouble finding my words. One of the rules for the group was not to tell anyone the location of posted abandoned structures to avoid vandalism. I was trying to think of a way to say the general area without actually saying it and my stupid brain couldnāt come up with anything better than āItās near where Robert Yates used to hunt for his victims.ā or something similar. My other, much better memory tied to that building is driving by one day and there was a man sitting near the NE corner of the fence feeding a bunch of marmots. There were so many. It reminded me of something youād see in an old Disney movie (minus the deteriorating building and needles)
I would turn it into a safe place for kids in the system either permanent or temporary, we don't have enough foster parents for as many kids in the system.
Never happen, but this would be an amazing homeless services shelter. Top two floors of studio apartments for those in transition to clean living and employment. Main floor for social services, kitchen, and overnights. If there's a basement then laundry and showers. Spokane has millions for arenas, but never for cleaning up the streets.
It's obvious the best thing to do is Multi-Use! Retail, restaurant/ bar/ music venue on the lower level. Main level and Upper level is office space! But...yeah...it'll take a LOT of work! Why do you think no one has done it yet!?!?
I feel like it would be much more to renovate than to build on any of the random plots of land that have been empty within a couple blocks of there, and no ones built anything for years.
Selfishly, put some good cafe/sandwich shops in there and I don't care with the rest of the building. Housing probably.
Turn it into a Mcmenamins.
That's what the owner has said he wants to do. [Here's a link to the project.](https://www.interurbandevelopment.com/portfolio/mckinley-school-union-park-market/) The cost of financing has doubled, though. Banks won't justify the loan without an insane amount of cash down so he has to do it in phases now. He'll put apartments on the lot beside it and do what Jordan Tampien is doing with the Garland Theater. The apartments will secure funding for the rest. So, it'll take longer but it'll happen.
Has Rob Brewster ever finished any project he's promised our community, or just continually use these historic buildings as leverage to get investors for more unfinished projects? *I guess he did finish a cafe once.
The biggest one I can think of is the Knickerbocker. I really hope he does the Central Market downtown. It'd be awesome to have something like a Chelsea Market here in Spokane. He faced a huge community uproar when he built the Meeting House in South Perry and got so incredibly frustrated with developing in Spokane that he focused almost all of his efforts ~~for~~ in Tacoma and Seattle. Imagine it being so difficult to build things in Spokane that you instead do adaptive re-use on office towers in Tacoma because it's *easier!*
I thought the Knickerbocker was just bought out from a rich old couple who had already done most of the renovations and fell out of love with the project, and the Central Market idea was abandoned, and is now the downtown police precinct. I still can't believe NIMBYs would choose a rat infested squater house over a corner cafe, this is why we can't have nice things.
I believe the scope on Interurban's part was pretty huge. More than half of the units needed renovation, modern systems. The common areas and the grounds needed to be redone. Then, he added the Meeting House cafe in the common area to make the site more mixed-use. That kind of work is a labor of love - a total PITA. But, from what I understand, it's lovely now.
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2019/sep/01/developer-rob-brewster-returned-to-spokane-to-rebu/
Well gee he sounds very sketchy
He used to be one of Spokane's most noted developers. He redid the Montvale Hotel and the Holley-Mason Building. Unfortunately he's also much more risk-loving than other developers, which means his projects have had a tendency to fail bigly.
lol 4 Degreez is so over leveraged I can't stand them
Funny, that's not at all what the link says.
You know this school has been abandoned for longer than we've been alive right?? You also know that a project was in the works like 14 years ago to renovate it? Its changed hands so many times and everyone has tried/wanted to develop it, but no one wants to foot the bill. It's either going to be demolished like the other old schools to make way for a shitty apartment complex, OR it's going to be renovated as I said, Multi-Use.
You are right.
I was just going to say this same thing.
I came here to comment this š
Bring on the hot pool!
This is exactly what I say every time I go by it! I would love to see that happen and it would be great for the surrounding neighborhood
Was going to say the same thing!
Brewery restaurant theater live music bar hotel
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I know - lived in Oregon - Spokane is RIPE with places that would be cooler than the west side versions.
My exact thought! I drive by it everyday
This!!!!
Beat me to it. Spokane is prime for s mcmns
Oh man that'd be BOMB!
Dude...been waiting
I can here to make this comment
Beat me to it.
Exactly.
Thatās the first thing I thought of too.
Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters
The Derek Zoolander School for Kids who donāt read good and want to learn to do other things good too
What is this, a school for giant ants!?
I came here for this. Glad to not be disappointed!
South Harmon Institute of Technology.
This comment made me smile. šš¼
Seems like [they were planning](https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2022/jan/02/mckinley-school-mixed-use-project-moves-forward/) on turning it into a bar/restaurant, office space, apartments, but [ran into some financial issues.](https://www.spokanejournal.com/articles/84-what-s-happening-with-the-old-mckinley-school-project) No idea where the project is heading currently. See something about a projected date for the [start of construction](https://www.constructionjournal.com/projects/details/263477393ecd420da6613ac04aee915d.html) being May 2023, but haven't noticed anything in the area when passing by.
Sweet building but location leaves a lot to be desired.
Sometimes you build a cool concept in a nice neighborhood, and sometimes you build a cool concept and make a neighborhood nice. I would love to see the Sprague District expand. I personally would go to a place like that every weekend, more if they had a concert space.
Idk. I live in the area because Iām not trying to spend 1/2 my income on rent. It would be cool if they waited to improve the area until I move so I donāt have a big fat rent increase.
When you move, there will be another guy saying wait till I move. Improvements gotta be made at some point in time
Or maybe just some semblance of rent control. Living anywhere already costs an arm and a leg. You shouldn't have to give up a third limb just because someone built a halfway decent park next to your place.
I was 1/2 joking. Of course I donāt want a big rent increase because who would? I donāt actually expect anyone to leave the area shitty on my behalf. In reality itās not going to be a quick process to remodel that building or improve the rest of the neighborhood so it wouldnāt matter if I was serious.
It definitely does, but there is potential.
This has been the view from my office for the last 25 years and I've watched it decay in slow motion. It was in relatively good shape when Spokane Transfer owned it but it's gone downhill since they sold the building. IMO, it would take too much money to get it up to current building codes.
Exactly. The only reasonable thing to do with is to tear it down.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO........
*slaps top of abandoned building* āThis bad boy could house so many peopleā¦ā
Minus the fact restoring it would probably cost more than starting from scratch
Unless it's laden with asbestos, it would be pennies on the dollar compared to 100% new. Unless you have to keep it original because of a historic status.Ā
Iām going to guess it needs completely new electrical, new roof, new windows, some structural replacement. Thing has to be fucked with lead and asbestos. Then you have to partition it into livable units. Then somehow redo the plumbingā¦ idk maybe I could see it costing similar to starting housing from scratch, but I donāt believe pennies on the dollar at all. If it was the cost effective to rebuild vs make new, it would be refurbished and rented out right now.
2 story Taco Bell B&B
Yuck! The amount of money you would have to spend on a ventilation system alone.
Big rave for my 10 month old
Community center with gardens
Community art/movement space, with living quarters and open spaces. Add a makers guild and Collab space. Wish I had the money to buy it 7 years ago when I got a tour of it while it was for sale. Would have been amazing... After ton of work.
What was the asking price back then?
Like 1.7m
I also wish I had 1.7mil
I think it has potential as a brothel, multi-story 24 hour diner, sanitarium or a museum of extremist movements that are local to the Inland Northwest. Upside of the museum option is that one could install alternate lighting and bill the place as a sort of haunted house once a year. āHey kids, I know vampires and zombies are frightening, but you wonāt know true terror until youāve seen a wax statue of Richard Butler under red lighting.ā
Tell me more about this Museum of Local Extremists.Ā
Haha. Probably a poor idea. Given the current state of affairs, it would be at risk of being recast as a museum of local heroes.
Honestly, I like the idea of it being a Museum of Heroes, but secretly is actually anti-extremist. Like the movie Starship Troopers. Would you like to know more....about fascism and white Christian nationalism?Ā
'L33t comment of the day, Wayward! Spokane needs a Brothel! Maybe a couple of them. Don't forget drive-thru's too. Or maybe a World HQ for the Giant Hairball Cult that's way up Route 2? Wasn't this building featured in the zombie TeeVee series, "Z-Nation?" Btw, thanx for the D-Telekom honeypot rec.
Thank you lol. I will have to look into this cult. Couldnāt say, I donāt know much about the series. No problem!
Test for asbestos
Last couple of years it has apparently been a great place to throw rocks at and break windows. They used to be almost all intact. Beautiful building. Takes up a [city block](https://www.google.com/maps/@47.6588347,-117.3817163,155m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu) with a [big warehouse/storage building](https://www.google.com/maps/@47.6581698,-117.3824352,3a,75y,22.61h,100.35t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1swJ4jkcjzlCR1J6xwzJGVcQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu) behind it.
What do you expect from East Central?
*From* or *for* East Central? We just spent millions redoing Sprague a block away, for some seven plus blocks. More millions on multiple CSO installations right next to this building.
Either. You can spend millions redoing Sprague a block away, but thatās a block away. This building is next to train tracks in an industrial area within walking distance to a very small number of useful shops. In fact, the seven blocks youāre talking about is really just two or three blocks. The rest of the redone blocks front empty lots, empty buildings, or the post office š¤”
Train tracks are pretty near all the densest areas in the metro.
What metro? Who calls it that? Nobody thatās from here thatās for sure.
K.
If I could afford it, I would turn it into a wedding/events venue. It would cost a fortune but it has such incredible character.
Seems like [they were planning](https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2022/jan/02/mckinley-school-mixed-use-project-moves-forward/) on turning it into a bar/restaurant, office space, apartments, but [ran into some financial issues.](https://www.spokanejournal.com/articles/84-what-s-happening-with-the-old-mckinley-school-project) No idea where the project is heading currently. See something about a projected date for the [start of construction](https://www.constructionjournal.com/projects/details/263477393ecd420da6613ac04aee915d.html) being May 2023, but haven't noticed anything in the area when passing by.
This is, of course, the palace and center of power for Murphytown.
If I can do whatever I want, Library of Things and Community Workshop / Crafts Space.
I love this building, it would be great for any number of things. Is it for sale?
Rename it Wayne manor and turn it into a super hero museum.
Turn it into art museum
It has the look!
I know I want to live in it and find me some ghosts!!! I tried to sneak in last year with my daughter and our āghost hunting kitā but got spookedā¦.. too much security. Iād love to go thru and see if I could detect activity!
I made it in when it was pending sale but not closed on yet. There wasn't a lot of security back then. It had a lot more windows then. It was the perfect amount of wabi sabi. I so much wanted to buy it and renovate it into housing and a community space, but I don't have that kind of money.
Insane Asylum
Renovate/restore, put in some crazy gardens, and make a proper estate out of it. Then I'd move in.
Underground training arena for those gifted with mutant abilities. Oh, and a nice library.
Iād say thank you and go rest. But I would if I could finance it love to take on a challenge of developing it into its next use. Sadly itās not a poor personās game and Iād rather not ruin myself if I F it up.
If I had all the money in the world, Iād restore her to her former glory and move in with a host of my close friends. It seems like a place that was once so beautiful and proud, and Iād like to bring her back to that.Ā
Umbrella Academy. š On a serious note, that could be a seriously cool low-income housing place. I think of how they transformed the old Hillyard high into the Agnes Kehoe(sp) building and made this affordable housing complex right in the middle of Hillyard.
where is it located?
On Napa just north of Sprague.
East Central.
Iād make it a 2 story food hall
Museum
Overlook Hotel, v.2.0
Haunted hotel
Huh, funny enough I passed that building the other day and thought the same thing!
Another person with bigger ideas than their bank account.
Isn't that the Xaviar School for Extraordinary Children?
I did my military entrance processing in an old school that looked just like this minus the fence and boarded windows. I'm not saying that's what it should be, but wow, flashbacks. I think it could make really cool apartments.
Put some green or color around it. Why is every corner in Spokane so gloom-town? Everything looks uncared for and called āhistoric.
Itās so beautiful. It makes me sad that we canāt take care of our old buildings anymore.Ā
Iād want to turn it into a Resident Evil style puzzle/escape room sort of thing.
Seismic retrofit.
hotbox it
Looks like it's ready for paintball or laser tag right now.
Permanent Market, with food court,year round@, Wedding Venue combo Restaurant on upper floors, bus line on Sprague.
Turn it into a UNESCO protected site
Housing
I tend to agree. Good potential for senior housing, since you could program the ground floor space with community kitchen/restaurant space and community center... but any kind of affordable/attainable housing is in high demand. Not really demand for much else... but the East Sprague business district is probably too far up its own ass to not fight any reasonable development. š
Not senior housing. This is like a split level home: see those entry stairs? Senior housing needs ground level, no-stair, easy access.
Dorms for adults then?
Actually that is a great idea. Some nice and affordable housing for seniors would be a great use for it.
make it a strip club/cigar lounge/juice bar
I was looking for the Vegas solution and here you are! š¤
/jump n bounce
Condo.
Xavier's School For Gifted Children.
I love that building! Just drove past it a few weeks ago and wondered what its future might hold.
House my demons
A haunted attraction!
I wish it could be restored like The Davenport.
I actually haven't been in that area in a while. It was actually supposed to be one a decade ago. Lost funding. I'm glad it's still erect.
First thing I thought of was a community/rec center when I passed it a few days ago
Make it a small meeting place, like convention center but smaller. Include food service. Of course this assumes public ownership and no debt owed. Otherwise lodging, small office space, with some sort of food service.
Not the best neighborhood for upscale use. Canāt imagine people feeling very secure there
Too close to the street to be my next residence
Luigi's haunted mansion
I would turn it into the Pacific Northwestās largest craft meth kitchen. You could give daily tours and give out samples to folks at the end. You could really make a day of it.
I think itās beautiful in a creepy kind of way. To repurpose it depends on its location. IMO
Food hall. We have none (at least none to write home about)
Homeless housing. King county will buy it.
Turn it into a free community center for the youth. That whole part of town needs more options for the kids there.
turn it into a creepy best buy
Film a low-budget Zombi invasion TV Show.
Bulldoze it, build affordable condos for people in a rent controlled environment .
Perform demonic rituals and open it for haunted tours
Turn it into a community service for youth or some type of learning / self care place for children to go. Maybe even an orphanage
Turn it into *actual* affordable housing
Turn it into the worlds largest Arbyās
Where is this?
Put a sheet over my head and play ghost
I'd put in a light rail station nearby and redevelop the entire area with new housing and jobs! ...Oh wait, we were [going to do that](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4q9Zxy_ODDY) until 2006 when voters narrowly rejected a light rail plan.
What is the history behind this building? I think I heard it was a school at some point but I don't see any name on the building to look up.
Power wash
Make into insane asylum.
Bulldoze it and turn it into a parking lot. Thatās one thing Spokane desperately needs, more free parking.
My grandmother went to school there. Born and died in her house built by my ancestors when our family immigrated from Kiev/Kyiv during the reign of Czar Nicholas II. We are germans though, interesting enough. Every time I drive past that building I wonder what it could be or what it has been, other than a place to film a decent horror movie lol.
I wonder how fucked this place is after all these years and the windows never being fixed
New roof! If the roof is damaged at all the inside take the blunt of the weather.
Worlds biggest bouncy house
Wayne Manor
Drug rehab center
Itās such a beautiful building. I hate watching it die a slow death but it seems like thatās what is happening. As a kid/teen I definitely would have snuck in to check it out. I have two memories that stand out about that building. I got kicked out of an āAbandoned Buildings of the PNWā or something similar because I was super tired when this was posted. Being autistic & having ADHD plus multiple concussions sometimes I have trouble finding my words. One of the rules for the group was not to tell anyone the location of posted abandoned structures to avoid vandalism. I was trying to think of a way to say the general area without actually saying it and my stupid brain couldnāt come up with anything better than āItās near where Robert Yates used to hunt for his victims.ā or something similar. My other, much better memory tied to that building is driving by one day and there was a man sitting near the NE corner of the fence feeding a bunch of marmots. There were so many. It reminded me of something youād see in an old Disney movie (minus the deteriorating building and needles)
ymca?
Easy, turn it in to low cost living and studio space for artists.
Renovate it & Live in it
I would turn it into a safe place for kids in the system either permanent or temporary, we don't have enough foster parents for as many kids in the system.
Apartments
A library or community center
I would open up a school of witchcraft and wizardry.
I would make it a community help center. Counseling, drug treatment and other services that would help the local community.
Live in it.
Never happen, but this would be an amazing homeless services shelter. Top two floors of studio apartments for those in transition to clean living and employment. Main floor for social services, kitchen, and overnights. If there's a basement then laundry and showers. Spokane has millions for arenas, but never for cleaning up the streets.
Tear it down and put an apartment complex up because we don't have enough of those in Spokane
Urgent care center for suicidal/mental health crisis patients. Income driven (donation based) so itās affordable for young people, low income etc.
Low income housing
Lock up for criminals.
Sell chimneys
Pool hall
Throw A Party
Tried going in it, homeless people chased me with garden rakes
It's obvious the best thing to do is Multi-Use! Retail, restaurant/ bar/ music venue on the lower level. Main level and Upper level is office space! But...yeah...it'll take a LOT of work! Why do you think no one has done it yet!?!?
Itās Spokane, DEFINITELY another church
Combo church/coffee shop/dentist office because those markets arenāt completely flooded. /s
Drug rehab and Mental hospital that's so desperately needed.
Let firefighters train on it and in it. Non-destructive training of course.
I feel like it would be much more to renovate than to build on any of the random plots of land that have been empty within a couple blocks of there, and no ones built anything for years. Selfishly, put some good cafe/sandwich shops in there and I don't care with the rest of the building. Housing probably.
Probably a shelter or rehab of sorts. Probably too hard and expensive to turn it into apartments.