Riverside, Spokane
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Downtown Spokane or Riverside is the
central business district A central business district (CBD) is the Commerce, commercial and business center of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides wit ...
of
Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the most populous city in eastern Washington and the county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It lies along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south o ...
. The Riverside neighborhood is roughly bounded by
I-90 Interstate 90 (I-90) is an east–west transcontinental freeway and the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It begins in Seattle, Washington, and travels through the Pacific Northwest, Mountain states, Mountain West, Great Pla ...
to the south, Division Street to the east, Monroe Street to the west and Boone Avenue to the north. The topography of Downtown Spokane is mostly flat except for areas downstream of the Spokane Falls which are located in a canyon; the
elevation The elevation of a geographic location (geography), ''location'' is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational equipotenti ...
is approximately above
sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an mean, average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal Body of water, bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical ...
. Located at a traditional
Native American Native Americans or Native American usually refers to Native Americans in the United States. Related terms and peoples include: Ethnic groups * Indigenous peoples of the Americas, the pre-Columbian peoples of North, South, and Central America ...
gathering place at the
Spokane Falls Spokane Falls is the name of a waterfall and dam on the Spokane River, located in the central business district in downtown Spokane, Washington. The city of Spokane was also initially named "Spokane Falls". History The Native American name ...
, American settlement was established in 1871. Most of Spokane's notable buildings, historic landmarks, and high rises are in the Riverside neighborhood and the downtown commercial district, where many of the buildings were rebuilt after the Great Fire of 1889 in the
Romanesque Revival Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended t ...
style by architect
Kirtland Kelsey Cutter Kirtland Cutter (August 20, 1860 – September 26, 1939) was a 20th-century architect in the Pacific Northwest and California. He was born in East Rockport, Ohio, the great-grandson of Jared Potter Kirtland. He studied painting and illustratio ...
. After experiencing periods of decline from Post-war suburbanization, the most recent following
Expo '74 Expo '74, officially known as the International Exposition on the Environment, Spokane 1974, was a world's fair held May 4, 1974, to November 3, 1974, in Spokane, Washington, in the Northwestern United States, northwest United States. It was the ...
, the neighborhood has become revitalized after the renovation of the
River Park Square Mall River Park Square is a shopping mall and entertainment complex in Spokane, Washington. The shopping center was originally opened in 1974. Following years of decline, the center was redeveloped in 1999 using Public–private partnership, public a ...
in 1999, which has become the most prominent
shopping center A shopping center in American English, shopping centre in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English (see American and British English spelling differences#-re, -er, spelling differences), shopping complex, shopping arcade, ...
in the city. The chief attraction of downtown Spokane is Riverfront Park, a park just north Spokane's downtown core, it was created after Expo '74 and occupies the same site. The park hosts some of Spokane's largest events. The neighborhood is also the center of Spokane's governmental, hospitality, convention, and cultural facilities. The neighborhood has a residential population of 3,071 people. The K-12 public education of the neighborhood is served by
Spokane Public Schools Spokane Public Schools (District No. 81) is a public school district in Spokane County, Washington, and serves the city of Spokane. The district includes oversight and administration of seven high schools, six middle schools, and 34 elementary ...
and mass transportation throughout downtown and the Spokane area is provided by the
Spokane Transit Authority Spokane Transit Authority, more commonly Spokane Transit or STA, is the public transport authority of central Spokane County, Washington, Spokane County, Washington (state), Washington, United States, serving Spokane, Washington, and its surrou ...
(STA) which has its
STA Plaza The STA Plaza (The Plaza or Spokane Transit Authority Plaza), is a transit center located in Downtown Spokane, Washington. It is the main hub of customer service and transit operations for the Spokane Transit Authority (STA), with 31 out of i ...
central hub in the city center and
Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
's ''
Empire Builder The ''Empire Builder'' is a daily long-distance passenger train operated by Amtrak between Chicago and either Seattle or Portland via two sections west of Spokane. Introduced in 1929, it was the flagship passenger train of the Great North ...
'' and
Greyhound The English Greyhound, or simply the Greyhound, is a dog breed, breed of dog, a sighthound which has been bred for coursing, greyhound racing and hunting. Some are kept as show dogs or pets. Greyhounds are defined as a tall, muscular, smooth-c ...
operate out of the
Spokane Intermodal Center The Spokane Intermodal Center is an Intermodal passenger transport, intermodal transport facility located in Spokane, Washington, Spokane, Washington (state), Washington, United States. It serves as a service stop for the Amtrak ''Empire Builde ...
. Spokane's city streets use a
grid plan In urban planning, the grid plan, grid street plan, or gridiron plan is a type of city plan in which streets run at right angles to each other, forming a grid. Two inherent characteristics of the grid plan, frequent intersections and orthogon ...
that is oriented to the four
cardinal direction The four cardinal directions or cardinal points are the four main compass directions: north (N), south (S), east (E), and west (W). The corresponding azimuths ( clockwise horizontal angle from north) are 0°, 90°, 180°, and 270°. The ...
s with its origin point on the east end of downtown. Sprague Avenue splits the city into North and South and Division Street divides the city into East and West.
Interstate 90 Interstate 90 (I-90) is an east–west transcontinental freeway and the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It begins in Seattle, Washington, and travels through the Pacific Northwest, Mountain states, Mountain West, Great Pla ...
(I-90) runs east–west from Seattle, through downtown Spokane, and eastward through
Spokane Valley The Spokane Valley is a valley of the Spokane River through the southern Selkirk Mountains in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. The valley is home to the cities of Spokane and its suburbs Spokane Valley, Washington, Spokane Vall ...
, Liberty Lake, and onward to Coeur d'Alene and then
Missoula Missoula ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Missoula County, Montana, Missoula County, Montana, United States. It is located along the Clark Fork River near its confluence with the Bitterroot River, Bitterroot and Blackfoot River (Montana), ...
.


Geography

The Riverside neighborhoods is bounded by
I-90 Interstate 90 (I-90) is an east–west transcontinental freeway and the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It begins in Seattle, Washington, and travels through the Pacific Northwest, Mountain states, Mountain West, Great Pla ...
to the south, Division Street to the east, Monroe Street (north of the
Spokane River The Spokane River is a tributary of the Columbia River, approximately long, in northern Idaho and eastern Washington in the United States. It drains a low mountainous area east of the Columbia, passing through the Spokane Valley and the city o ...
), West Riverside Avenue, and Sunset Boulevard (south of the Spokane River) to the west, and Boone Avenue to the north. Boone Avenue is where most of the city's governmental functions and other public facilities are located. The commercial district or "downtown core" comprises the portion of the Riverside neighborhood south of the Spokane River and east of Monroe Street. The topography of Downtown Spokane is mostly flat except for areas downstream of the Spokane Falls which are located in a canyon; the
elevation The elevation of a geographic location (geography), ''location'' is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational equipotenti ...
is approximately above
sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an mean, average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal Body of water, bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical ...
. South of Downtown slopes up to the Lower South Hill, quite steeply in some places such as Pioneer Park, where long cliffs oriented east–west provide great views of Downtown, the North Side and
Spokane Valley The Spokane Valley is a valley of the Spokane River through the southern Selkirk Mountains in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. The valley is home to the cities of Spokane and its suburbs Spokane Valley, Washington, Spokane Vall ...
to the east. Downtown Spokane straddles Sprague Avenue, which divides the city into North and South and on the eastern end of Downtown, Division Street, which splits the city into East and West. Infrastructure such as the railroad tracks and Interstate 90 cause noticeable obstructions to the continuity of the built environment and neighborhood. The presence of the railroad separates parts of the downtown core and creates a long, straight, and often blighted alleyway called "Railroad Alley" between 1st and 2nd Avenue between Wall Street and Adams Street; since the alleyway is wider than typical, many see potential in the space and the community has discussed it as a possible place for
pocket park A pocket park (also known as a parkette, mini-park, vest-pocket park or vesty park) is a small park accessible to the general public. While the locations, elements, and uses of pocket parks vary considerably, the common defining characteristic of ...
s or even a pedestrian or alternative transportation retail corridor with murals. Railroad Alley/Avenue was where the Northern Pacific tracks used to be located. Interstate 90 is elevated through almost all of downtown, often with parking lots underneath, but occasional blocks are solid cement, forming a barrier at the southern end of Downtown.


Districts and areas

Immediately south of the Interstate, the high density area continues into the Lower South Hill and what is known as the ''Medical District'' where Spokane's major health-care facilities are located, including Spokane's two largest hospitals,
Sacred Heart The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus () is one of the most widely practised and well-known Catholic devotions, wherein the heart of Jesus Christ is viewed as a symbol of "God's boundless and passionate love for mankind". This devotion to Christ is p ...
and
Deaconess The ministry of a deaconess is a ministry for women in some Protestant, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Orthodox churches to provide pastoral care, especially for other women, and which may carry a liturgical role. The word comes from the Greek ...
. To the west is the National Historic District of Browne's Addition, one of Spokane's oldest neighborhoods as well as the most population dense. Although they have an almost identical number of residents, Browns Addition has more than double the population density of Riverside with more than 8,000 residents per square mile. It is noted for its array of old mansions built by Spokane's early elite in the Queen Anne and early
American Craftsman American Craftsman is an American domestic architectural style, inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement, which included interior design, landscape design, applied arts, and decorative arts, beginning in the last years of the 19th century. ...
styles. Across the river from Gonzaga and directly east of downtown is the University District, which has branch campuses of
Eastern Washington University Eastern Washington University (EWU) is a public university in Cheney, Washington, United States. It shares its satellite campus in Spokane, Washington with Washington State University. Founded in 1882, the university is academically divided in ...
and
Washington State University Washington State University (WSU, or colloquially Wazzu) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Pullman, Washington, United States. Founded in 1890, WSU is also one of the oldest Land-grant uni ...
. Division Street separates Downtown from the University District. Also included in the University District is the
Gonzaga University Gonzaga University (GU) ( ) is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit university in Spokane, Washington, United States. It is Higher education accreditation in the United States, accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges ...
campus, located on the north bank of the river. Aside from location, Spokane's city center has many areas that can be distinguished by belonging to one or more districts with a theme, where there is a cluster of similar buildings or businesses, some more defined than others. Examples of these areas and districts include the downtown core, the Davenport District, Riverfront Park, and the "Cork District", and the areas surrounding the Spokane Convention Center and Spokane Arena, which are feature a heavy presence of public venues for convention and sport activities that are maintained by the
Spokane Public Facilities District The Spokane Public Facilities District (SPFD) is the government body in Spokane, Washington that manages the Spokane Arena, Spokane Convention Center, the First Interstate Center for the Arts, The Podium, and One Spokane Stadium. It was created ...
.


Riverfront Park

Riverfront Park is a park just north of Downtown Spokane. Also located in Riverside, the park is the site of some of Spokane's largest events. The park has views of the
Spokane Falls Spokane Falls is the name of a waterfall and dam on the Spokane River, located in the central business district in downtown Spokane, Washington. The city of Spokane was also initially named "Spokane Falls". History The Native American name ...
, and holds a number of civic attractions, including a Skyride that is a rebuilt gondola that carries visitors across the falls from high above the river gorge, a 5-story IMAX theater, and a small amusement park (which is converted into an ice-skating rink during the winter months) with numerous rides and concessions. The park is host to a full schedule of family entertainment and events such as the
Bloomsday Bloomsday is a commemoration and celebration of the life of Irish writer James Joyce, observed annually in Dublin and elsewhere on 16 June. The day is named after Leopold Bloom, the protagonist of Joyce's 1922 novel ''Ulysses (novel), Ulysses' ...
Post-Race Celebration, Hoopfest, Spokane Music Festival, Pig-Out in the Park, Restaurant Fair, Pow Wow,
First Night First Night is a North American artistic and cultural celebration on New Year's Eve, taking place from afternoon until midnight. Some cities have all their events during the celebration outside, but some cities have events that are hosted indoors ...
Spokane, plus many outdoor concerts and other community activities. The Park also includes a hand-carved carousel created in 1909 by Charles I. D. Looff as a wedding present for his daughter. The carousel still operates in Riverfront Park, where riders can participate in an old-time ring toss. The carousel continues to offer a free ride to the rider who grabs the brass ring. Riverfront Park extends to the north bank of the river where the North Bank park features an ice age floods themed playground, Hoopfest basketball courts, the Skate and Wheels Park, and a climbing boulder as well as the Howard Street Promenade which showcases ample views of the Spokane falls and other water features (some man-made) of the Spokane River.


Downtown Core

The Downtown Core is the heart of Spokane and is generally considered to be the several block vicinity surrounding Spokane City Hall, River Park Square, the STA Plaza, and the Davenport Hotel. A majority of Spokane's high-rise buildings are located in this core area. Spokane's
skywalk The SkyWalk is an approximately 160 metre enclosed walkway connecting Union Station to the CN Tower and the Rogers Centre (SkyDome) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Part of Toronto's PATH network, the SkyWalk passes above the York Street ' s ...
system also overlays the street grid and street life within the core, linking 14 blocks together, making it among the largest skywalk systems in the United States. It is used for quick pedestrian travel across streets and traffic in cold and inclement weather and retail space as well. Skywalk connections to parking garages such as The Parkade most notably make parking and traveling to downtown buildings several blocks away faster.


Davenport District

Located south and west of the Downtown Core, the Davenport District hosts many concerts, plays, galleries, and other shows. This area is home to hotels, live entertainment venues, and art galleries. These events are hosted in a variety of venues including the Fox Theater, The
Bing Crosby Theater Bing Crosby Theater is a performing arts theater located in Spokane, Washington which was designed by theater architect Edwin W. Houghton. The theater was originally built in 1914 as an 800-seat movie theater called Clemmer Theater. Between Aug ...
, and the
Knitting Factory The Knitting Factory is a nightclub in New York City that features eclectic music and entertainment and is co-owned and co-operated by Knitting Factory Entertainment. After opening in 1987, various other locations were opened in the United Stat ...
. This arts and entertainment district has a number of large historic buildings. Many of these buildings have been renovated, and capture Spokane's "Age of Elegance" at the turn of the 20th century. More recently, this area has become a hub for breweries. There are multiple tasting rooms between Lincoln and Cedar Street along First and Second Avenue, making it a popular destination for brewery tours.


Convention Center District

The Convention Center District is situated to the east of the Downtown Core and is anchored by the
Spokane Convention Center Spokane Convention Center is the primary convention center in Spokane, Washington, Spokane, Washington (state), Washington, in the Pacific Northwest, northwest United States, and consists of two interconnected buildings along the south bank of the ...
and
First Interstate Center for the Arts The First Interstate Center for the Arts is a 2,609-seat theater and entertainment venue in Spokane, Washington. It is located in Downtown Spokane along the south bank of the Spokane River adjacent to the Spokane Convention Center. The facility i ...
. Its location is directly adjacent to Riverfront Park; an advantage that has been embraced through careful planning and architectural design of buildings in the district which allows the buildings to interface with the park, the river, and recreational trails (including the Centennial Trail) that run along it. The district was born out of
Expo '74 Expo '74, officially known as the International Exposition on the Environment, Spokane 1974, was a world's fair held May 4, 1974, to November 3, 1974, in Spokane, Washington, in the Northwestern United States, northwest United States. It was the ...
, which developed the original structure that ultimately became the First Interstate Center for the Arts and the Spokane Convention Center. The convention center has been expanded several times since its original construction, stretching the bounds of the district farther east, where it ties into the University District. Much of the other development around the Convention Center District stems from the Spokane Convention Center and the First Interstate Center for the Arts, including restaurants, retail, and hotels. Spokane's largest and tallest hotels, including the DoubleTree, Davenport Grand, and Red Lion Hotel at the Park are located in or immediately adjacent to the convention center district. The business types located around the Convention Center District provide a common overlap with businesses supporting the adjacent University District as well, helping to alleviate some of the "urban dead zones" that are all too commonly created when the convention centers - particularly large ones in major cities much larger than Spokane - are not in use.


North Bank

The North Bank area is located to the north of the Spokane River and Riverfront Park. It is home to a variety of uses including civic, residential, shopping, dining, and lodging. Destinations include the
Spokane Arena Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena (Spokane Arena) is a multi-purpose arena in the northwestern United States, located in downtown Spokane, Washington. Opened in 1995, it is home to the Spokane Chiefs of the Western Hockey League (WHL). Facility C ...
, The Podium,
ONE Spokane Stadium One Spokane Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Downtown Spokane, downtown Spokane, Washington, United States. It is home to the professional soccer teams Spokane Velocity of USL League One and Spokane Zephyr FC of the USL Super League and USL W L ...
, Spokane Civic Theatre, and the
Flour Mill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that has been separat ...
. A number of businesses based on the North Bank are in the health, banking, hotel, and real estate industries.


Historic districts

Downtown Spokane is home to three historic districts listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
. *East Downtown Historic District *
Riverside Avenue Historic District The Riverside Avenue Historic District is a Historic districts in the United States, historic district in Downtown Spokane, Downtown Spokane, Washington consisting of buildings constructed in the early 20th century, and was listed on the Natio ...
*
West Downtown Historic Transportation Corridor The West Downtown Historic Transportation Corridor is a historic commercial district in Spokane, Washington, Spokane, Washington (U.S. State), Washington located, as the name suggests, in the western portion of the city's Downtown Spokane, dow ...


Kendall Yards

Located along the southern edge of the West Central neighborhood just across the Spokane River from Downtown Spokane is Kendall Yards, a
new urbanist New Urbanism is an urban design movement that promotes environmentally friendly habits by creating walkable neighbourhoods containing a wide range of housing and job types. It arose in the United States in the early 1980s, and has gradually in ...
community. Though not officially within the boundaries of Downtown or Riverside, Kendall Yards plays a vital role in the culture and future of the downtown core by increasing the urban residential population in the immediate vicinity of it. The neighborhood is one of the largest urban infill development projects in the city's history and has reclaimed a
brownfield Brownfield is previously-developed land that has been abandoned or underused, and which may carry pollution, or a risk of pollution, from industrial use. The specific definition of brownfield land varies and is decided by policy makers and l ...
formerly occupied by
rail yard A rail yard, railway yard, railroad yard (US) or simply yard, is a series of Track (rail transport), tracks in a rail network for storing, sorting, or loading and unloading rail vehicles and locomotives. Yards have many tracks in parallel for k ...
s. The site of Kendall Yards used to be the main entry point of the railroad into Downtown Spokane before alterations to the downtown area in preparations for
Expo '74 Expo '74, officially known as the International Exposition on the Environment, Spokane 1974, was a world's fair held May 4, 1974, to November 3, 1974, in Spokane, Washington, in the Northwestern United States, northwest United States. It was the ...
relocated the railroads south of the Spokane River. The site sat vacant from that point on for another three decades until 2005, when a brownfield cleanup took place in preparations for the groundbreaking of the development. The cleanup, which won a
US EPA The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent agency of the United States government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it began operation on De ...
award, took approximately one year and removed over 223,000 tons of contaminated soil from the site. The initial proposal for Kendall Yards called for 2,600 residences and 1 million square feet of commercial space, worth up to $1 billion. The development broke ground in 2007, however, the impending
Great Recession The Great Recession was a period of market decline in economies around the world that occurred from late 2007 to mid-2009.
bankrupted the project's developer before any buildings were constructed. The now cleaned-up site continued to sit vacant for another few years until a Spokane-based developer, Greenstone Corp., purchased the site in 2009 and began construction in 2010. In response to the economic conditions at the time, the original plans for the development were scaled back; the proposed density, residential unit count, and commercial square footage were all reduced to approximately one-half of the original scope. However, the scaled-back plans did have its advantages; the development was more likely to be successful, the more land would be available for open green space, and the reduced density would be more compatible with the existing fabric of the adjacent West Central neighborhood to the north. Construction of the development is phased and is expected to be ongoing through the mid-2020s. Designed on
new urbanist New Urbanism is an urban design movement that promotes environmentally friendly habits by creating walkable neighbourhoods containing a wide range of housing and job types. It arose in the United States in the early 1980s, and has gradually in ...
principles, the plan and makeup of the neighborhood emphasizes mixed-use development, diversity of densities and housing types, open space, and
walkability In urban planning, walkability is the accessibility of amenities within a reasonable walking distance. It is based on the idea that urban spaces should be more than just transport corridors designed for maximum vehicle throughput. Instead, it s ...
. Much of the neighborhood consists of multi-family structures of townhomes, condominiums, and apartments. There are also single-family detached homes, community gardens, free-standing commercial buildings, and mixed-use buildings (with ground-floor retail and apartment units above). Green and recreational space is also emphasized; the community includes parks, sidewalks, and plazas and also completed a long-awaited infill section of the Centennial Trail, extending it from Downtown through the entire site along the northern banks of the Spokane River Gorge.


History

The
Spokane Spokane ( ) is the most populous city in eastern Washington and the county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It lies along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south ...
Falls and its surroundings were a gathering place and focus for settlement for the area's
indigenous people There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...
for thousands of years, due to the fertile hunting grounds and abundance of
salmon Salmon (; : salmon) are any of several list of commercially important fish species, commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the genera ''Salmo'' and ''Oncorhynchus'' of the family (biology), family Salmonidae, native ...
in the Spokane River. The first American settlers in what is now Spokane were J.J. Downing and S.R. Scranton, cattle ranchers who
squatted Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building (usually residential) that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. The United Nations estimated in 2003 that there wer ...
and established a claim at Spokane Falls in 1871. Together they built a small sawmill on a claim near the south bank of the falls. James N. Glover and Jasper Matheney, Oregonians passing through the region in 1873, recognized the value of the Spokane River and its falls for the purpose of water power. On August 4, 1889, a fire, now known as The Great Fire began just after 6:00 p.m. and destroyed the city's downtown commercial district. Due to technical problems with a pump station, there was no water pressure in the city when the fire started. In a desperate bid to starve the fire, firefighters began razing buildings with dynamite. Eventually the winds and the fire died down; 32 blocks of Spokane's downtown core had been destroyed and one person killed. After the devastation of the fire, Spokane experienced a building boom. The downtown was swiftly rebuilt with local investment from the regions mineral resources using brick, stone masonry, and terra cotta. Within a year, 100 buildings had been built on the blank canvas that is now the downtown core, much of it from esteemed architects such as Herman Preusse,
Kirtland Cutter Kirtland Cutter (August 20, 1860 – September 26, 1939) was a 20th-century architect in the Pacific Northwest and California. He was born in East Rockport, Ohio, the great-grandson of Jared Potter Kirtland. He studied painting and illustrati ...
, and
John K. Dow John K. Dow (1861-1961) was an American architect. He designed the NRHP-listed Coolidge–Rising House, With the NRHP-listed Christ the Redeemer Church (Spokane, Washington), Grace Baptist Church, With and the NRHP-listed Empire State Building ...
, and Spokane was able to host the 1890
Northwest Industrial Exposition The Northwestern Industrial Exposition was held in Spokane, Washington (then known as Spokane Falls) in October 1890. It followed the August 4, 1889 fire that burned much of downtown. Chauncey B. Seaton designed the exposition hall. Artworks di ...
. The building of downtown reached its modern boundaries in 1905. The transition from rail travel to the personal automobile was complete in 1936 when Spokane's streetcar service was ended and had a negative impact on the vitality of the downtown core as a destination. The 1950s especially, with the car making travel to and from places more convenient, growth and shopping became decentralized to the outskirts of town, such as NorthTown Mall in 1954, where there was ample parking space, as opposed to downtown where parking was difficult and more scarce even after demolishing buildings to create more space. Following decades of stagnation and slow growth, Spokane businessmen formed Spokane Unlimited in the early 1960s, an organization that sought to revitalize downtown Spokane. Early but modest success came in the form of a new parking garage in 1965, The Parkade. A recreation park showcasing the
Spokane Falls Spokane Falls is the name of a waterfall and dam on the Spokane River, located in the central business district in downtown Spokane, Washington. The city of Spokane was also initially named "Spokane Falls". History The Native American name ...
was the preferred option, and after successful negotiation to relocate the railroad facilities on Havermale Island, they executed on a proposal to host the first environmentally themed
World's Fair A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition, is a large global exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specific site for a perio ...
in
Expo '74 Expo '74, officially known as the International Exposition on the Environment, Spokane 1974, was a world's fair held May 4, 1974, to November 3, 1974, in Spokane, Washington, in the Northwestern United States, northwest United States. It was the ...
on May 4, becoming the smallest city at the time to host a World's Fair. This event transformed Spokane's downtown, removing a century of railroad infrastructure and re-inventing the urban core. After Expo '74, the fairgrounds became the Riverfront Park. The Expo transformed the blighted
Chinatown Chinatown ( zh, t=唐人街) is the catch-all name for an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, Asia, Africa, O ...
, which was demolished, into a convention center after the fair. Following more decades of lackluster growth and the continuing effects of post World War II
suburbanization Suburbanization (American English), also spelled suburbanisation (British English), is a population shift from historic core cities or rural areas into suburbs. Most suburbs are built in a formation of (sub)urban sprawl. As a consequence ...
, downtown Spokane had undergone another major rebirth in the decade before the
Great Recession The Great Recession was a period of market decline in economies around the world that occurred from late 2007 to mid-2009.
, after the redevelopment of the
River Park Square Mall River Park Square is a shopping mall and entertainment complex in Spokane, Washington. The shopping center was originally opened in 1974. Following years of decline, the center was redeveloped in 1999 using Public–private partnership, public a ...
in 1999. The $110 million dollar investment in the mall and an its controversial attached parking garage created from a public-private partnership aimed to keep its last anchor tenant, Nordstrom, and some credit the project for sparking a flurry of other projects in the mid-2000s. The historic Davenport Hotel underwent a major renovation in 2002 after being vacant for over 20 years. The project was funded by local entrepreneur Walt Worthy, who also added a Safari-themed 20 story tower to the hotel in 2007. Other major projects included the renovation of the Holley-Mason Building, the building of the Big Easy concert house (renamed the
Knitting Factory The Knitting Factory is a nightclub in New York City that features eclectic music and entertainment and is co-owned and co-operated by Knitting Factory Entertainment. After opening in 1987, various other locations were opened in the United Stat ...
), the remodeling of the historic
Montvale Hotel The Montvale Hotel is a boutique hotel in Spokane, Washington. Originally built in 1889 as an SRO (Single Room Occupancy Hotel), the Montvale Hotel also served Spokane as an apartment building, a brothel, and as a youth hostel during Expo '74 a ...
and Fox Theater (now home to the Spokane Symphony) and the expansion of the
Spokane Convention Center Spokane Convention Center is the primary convention center in Spokane, Washington, Spokane, Washington (state), Washington, in the Pacific Northwest, northwest United States, and consists of two interconnected buildings along the south bank of the ...
. The interest and investment in the downtown area has continued into the 2020s and has also spilled over into the downtrodden portion of downtown south of the railroad tracks.


Demographics

As of 2017, the population of Riverside was 3,071 in 1,938 households, 96% of which are rented, compared with 45.3% for the city. 5.7% of Riverside residents are 19 years or under, compared to 21.9% citywide. 19% are age 65 or above, compared to 14.5% citywide. 14.1% of people in Riverside identify as people of color, compared to 15.1% citywide. The median household income in Riverside is $13,433 compared to $44,768 for the whole city. 92.3% of residents were born in the United States. Of foreign born residents, 25.7% came from
Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
, 14.9% from
the Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of 7,641 islands, with a total area of roughly 300,000 square kilometers, which ar ...
, 10.3% from the
U.K. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
, and 8.6% from
Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...
.


Education

Riverside is served by
Spokane Public Schools Spokane Public Schools (District No. 81) is a public school district in Spokane County, Washington, and serves the city of Spokane. The district includes oversight and administration of seven high schools, six middle schools, and 34 elementary ...
but has no schools physically located within the neighborhood. Roosevelt Elementary in the Cliff/Cannon neighborhood serves the student population south of the Spokane River while Garfield Elementary in Emerson/Garfield serves neighborhood children living north of the river. The middle and high school boundaries are demarcated along the same boundary with children south of the Spokane River and attending Roosevelt Elementary graduating to Sacajawea Middle School in the Comstock neighborhood and then feeding into
Lewis and Clark High School Lewis and Clark High School is a four-year public Secondary education in the United States, secondary school in Spokane, Washington, United States. Opened in 1912, it is located at 521 W. Fourth Ave. in the Cliff/Cannon, Spokane, Cliff/Cannon ...
, which is located on 4th Avenue, just beyond the neighborhood limits in Cliff/Cannon. The students north of the Spokane River and attending Garfield Elementary go on to attend Yasuhara Middle School located to the northeast in the
Logan Logan may refer to: Places * Mount Logan (disambiguation) Australia * Logan (Queensland electoral district), an electoral district in the Queensland Legislative Assembly * Logan, Victoria, small locality near St. Arnaud * Logan City, local gove ...
neighborhood and return to Emerson/Garfield to attend North Central High School. The main branch of the
Spokane Public Library The Spokane Public Library is a public library system serving the city of Spokane, Washington, US. It has six branches and a central library in downtown Spokane, along with a bookmobile and online services. The library system was acquired by th ...
is located adjacent to River Park Square on Spokane Falls Boulevard. Opened in 1994, the library houses the Inland Northwest Special Collections room. In 2022, a $33 million renovation was completed to make it more useful as a creative center as well as an information center.


Architecture

Downtown Spokane contains a wide range of architectural styles that reflects the tastes of the times in the built environment from the 1890s to today. Most of Spokane's notable buildings and landmarks in the Riverside neighborhood and the downtown commercial district were rebuilt after the Great Fire of 1889 in the
Romanesque Revival Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended t ...
style. Examples include the Great Northern clock tower,
Review Building The Review Building is a historic six-story building in Spokane, Washington. It was designed in the Romanesque Revival style, and built with terra cotta in 1891 to house the offices of ''The Spokane Falls Review'', later ''The Spokesman-Review''. ...
, Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes, First Congregational Church, Washington Water Power Post Street substation, Peyton Building, and The Carlyle. The principal architect of many of the most well known downtown buildings was
Kirtland Kelsey Cutter Kirtland Cutter (August 20, 1860 – September 26, 1939) was a 20th-century architect in the Pacific Northwest and California. He was born in East Rockport, Ohio, the great-grandson of Jared Potter Kirtland. He studied painting and illustratio ...
. Downtown structures designed by Cutter include the Spokane Club, Washington Water Power Substation, Monroe Street Bridge (featured in the city seal), Central Steam Plant, and the Davenport Hotel. In contemporary times, one of the city's foremost and influential architects has been Warren C. Heylman, who helped give the city a great breadth of mid-century architecture. In downtown, Heylman designed The Parkade, Spokane Regional Health Building, Riverfalls Tower, Cathedral Plaza, and the Burlington Northern Latah Creek Bridge. Other well-represented architectural styles downtown include
Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...
(Spokane City Hall, Paulsen Center, Fox Theater, City Ramp Garage),
Renaissance Revival Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th-century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range of ...
(Steam Plant Square, Thomas S. Foley Courthouse, Legion Building,
San Marco San Marco is one of the six sestiere (Venice), sestieri of Venice, lying in the heart of the city as the main place of Venice. San Marco also includes the island of San Giorgio Maggiore. Although the district includes Piazza San Marco, Saint Mar ...
), Neoclassical (Masonic Center,
Hutton Building The Hutton Building is a historic seven-story building in Spokane, Washington. It was designed by Hubbell & Dow in the Classical Revival style, and built as a four-story building in 1906-1907 for Levi Hutton and his wife, May Arkwright Hutton. ...
,
Bing Crosby Theater Bing Crosby Theater is a performing arts theater located in Spokane, Washington which was designed by theater architect Edwin W. Houghton. The theater was originally built in 1914 as an 800-seat movie theater called Clemmer Theater. Between Aug ...
), Chicago School ( U.S. Bank Building, Liberty Building, Old City Hall) and
Modernist Modernism was an early 20th-century movement in literature, visual arts, and music that emphasized experimentation, abstraction, and Subjectivity and objectivity (philosophy), subjective experience. Philosophy, politics, architecture, and soc ...
(The Parkade,
Ridpath Hotel The Ridpath Hotel is a complex of four buildings in Spokane, Washington – the Ridpath Tower (completed in 1952), the Halliday Building (completed 1889), the Y Building (completed 1906), and the Executive Court building (completed in 1963). The ...
, Bank of America Financial Center).


Buildings

Fifty percent of Spokane's downtown is designated as historic and the downtown area contains three National Register Historic Districts. The tallest building in the city is the Bank of America Financial Center at , completed in 1981. The nearby Wells Fargo Center is the second tallest at , and opened a year later. Other significant public facilities in downtown include the
Spokane Convention Center Spokane Convention Center is the primary convention center in Spokane, Washington, Spokane, Washington (state), Washington, in the Pacific Northwest, northwest United States, and consists of two interconnected buildings along the south bank of the ...
, the
First Interstate Center for the Arts The First Interstate Center for the Arts is a 2,609-seat theater and entertainment venue in Spokane, Washington. It is located in Downtown Spokane along the south bank of the Spokane River adjacent to the Spokane Convention Center. The facility i ...
, and the
Spokane Arena Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena (Spokane Arena) is a multi-purpose arena in the northwestern United States, located in downtown Spokane, Washington. Opened in 1995, it is home to the Spokane Chiefs of the Western Hockey League (WHL). Facility C ...
.


Law and government

The city center is the site of several governmental facilities. At the city level, the city government offices, Spokane City Hall, is located just west of Riverfront Park at 808 W. Spokane Falls Blvd. while the Spokane County Courthouse is located north of the Spokane River at 1116 W. Broadway Ave. near other county government offices which are located nearby. The Spokane Regional Health District offices are housed in the architecturally distinctive Spokane Regional Health Building on W. College Ave. In the
US federal court The federal judiciary of the United States is one of the three branches of the federal government of the United States organized under the United States Constitution and laws of the federal government. The U.S. federal judiciary consists primaril ...
system, the Thomas S. Foley U.S. Courthouse of the Eastern District of Washington is located at 920 W. Riverside Ave which next door to the
Federal Building A federal building is a building housing local offices of various government departments and agencies in countries with a federal system, especially when the central government is referred to as the "federal government A federation (als ...
. The
Spokane Police Department The Spokane Police Department is the agency responsible for law enforcement in Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the most populous city in eastern Washington and the county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It lies along ...
(SPD) and Spokane County Sheriff's Office (SCSO) headquarters are both located within the Public Safety Building near the Spokane County Courthouse on Mallon Ave. The SPD also has a downtown precinct across the street from the
STA Plaza The STA Plaza (The Plaza or Spokane Transit Authority Plaza), is a transit center located in Downtown Spokane, Washington. It is the main hub of customer service and transit operations for the Spokane Transit Authority (STA), with 31 out of i ...
on Riverside Ave.


Media

The downtown and its periphery is the location for several local media outlets. For print media, Spokane's only major daily, ''
The Spokesman-Review ''The Spokesman-Review'' is a daily broadsheet newspaper based in Spokane, Washington, the city's sole remaining daily publication. It has the third-highest readership among daily newspapers in the state, with most of its readership base in ...
'' has its offices in the Review Building at 999 W. Riverside Ave. For broadcast media,
KHQ-TV KHQ-TV (channel 6) is a television station in Spokane, Washington, United States, affiliated with NBC. It is the flagship (broadcasting), flagship and namesake of the KHQ Television Group, a subsidiary of the locally based Cowles Company, whic ...
, the city
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
-
network affiliate In the broadcasting industry (particularly in North America, and even more in the United States), a network affiliate or affiliated station is a local broadcaster, owned by a company other than the owner of the network, which carries some or a ...
station has its studios in the downtown core as well. Both ''The Spokesman-Review'' and KHQ are properties of the
Cowles Company The Cowles Company is an American diversified media company based in Spokane, Washington. The company owns and operates ''The Spokesman-Review'' in Spokane, founded in 1894, and owned the ''Spokane Daily Chronicle'' until it was shut down in 19 ...
. Spokane's
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...
affiliate,
KXLY-TV KXLY-TV (channel 4) is a television station in Spokane, Washington, United States, affiliated with American Broadcasting Company, ABC and owned by Morgan Murphy Media. Its studios are located on West Boone Avenue in Spokane, and its transmitter ...
has its studios north of the Spokane River on Boone Ave.


Transportation

Mass transportation throughout the Spokane area is provided by the
Spokane Transit Authority Spokane Transit Authority, more commonly Spokane Transit or STA, is the public transport authority of central Spokane County, Washington, Spokane County, Washington (state), Washington, United States, serving Spokane, Washington, and its surrou ...
(STA), which operates a fleet of 156 buses. Its service area covers roughly and reaches 85 percent of the county's population. A large percentage of STA bus routes originate from the central hub, the
STA Plaza The STA Plaza (The Plaza or Spokane Transit Authority Plaza), is a transit center located in Downtown Spokane, Washington. It is the main hub of customer service and transit operations for the Spokane Transit Authority (STA), with 31 out of i ...
in downtown Spokane. The region's first bus rapid transit line, City Line, also runs through downtown. Spokane has rail and bus service provided by
Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
and
Greyhound The English Greyhound, or simply the Greyhound, is a dog breed, breed of dog, a sighthound which has been bred for coursing, greyhound racing and hunting. Some are kept as show dogs or pets. Greyhounds are defined as a tall, muscular, smooth-c ...
via the
Spokane Intermodal Center The Spokane Intermodal Center is an Intermodal passenger transport, intermodal transport facility located in Spokane, Washington, Spokane, Washington (state), Washington, United States. It serves as a service stop for the Amtrak ''Empire Builde ...
. The city is a stop for Amtrak's ''
Empire Builder The ''Empire Builder'' is a daily long-distance passenger train operated by Amtrak between Chicago and either Seattle or Portland via two sections west of Spokane. Introduced in 1929, it was the flagship passenger train of the Great North ...
'' on its way to and from Chicago's
Union Station A union station, union terminal, joint station, or joint-use station is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway company, railway companies, allowing passengers to connect conveniently bet ...
en route to
Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
and
Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...
. The Riverside neighborhood of downtown Spokane has a Walk Score of 90 out of 100, rating as a "Walkers Paradise" meaning daily errands do not require a car and a Transit Score of 68 which indicates it also has "Good Transit" where there are many public transportation options. Downtown Spokane's city streets use a
grid plan In urban planning, the grid plan, grid street plan, or gridiron plan is a type of city plan in which streets run at right angles to each other, forming a grid. Two inherent characteristics of the grid plan, frequent intersections and orthogon ...
that is oriented to the four
cardinal direction The four cardinal directions or cardinal points are the four main compass directions: north (N), south (S), east (E), and west (W). The corresponding azimuths ( clockwise horizontal angle from north) are 0°, 90°, 180°, and 270°. The ...
s where the east–west roads generally are designated as avenues and the north–south roads are referred to as streets; the roads in downtown were made to be rather than the typical in the rest of the Spokane to make it possible for a
horse and buggy A buggy refers to a lightweight four-wheeled carriage drawn by a single horse, though occasionally by two. Amish buggies are still regularly in use on the roadways of America. The word "buggy" has become a generic term for "carriage" in Americ ...
to turn around in the street. Division Street divides the city into East and West, while Sprague Avenue splits the city into North and South, these two streets intersect in downtown. Interstate 90 (I-90) runs east–west from Seattle, through downtown Spokane, and eastward through Spokane Valley, Liberty Lake, and onward to Coeur d'Alene and then
Missoula Missoula ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Missoula County, Montana, Missoula County, Montana, United States. It is located along the Clark Fork River near its confluence with the Bitterroot River, Bitterroot and Blackfoot River (Montana), ...
.


Bridges

There are five automobile Spokane River crossings and one named pedestrian bridge in the Riverside neighborhood: * Division Street Bridge *Washington Street Bridge/Stevens Street Bridge *Howard Street Middle Channel Bridge (
pedestrian bridge A footbridge (also a pedestrian bridge, pedestrian overpass, or pedestrian overcrossing) is a bridge designed solely for pedestrians.''Oxford English Dictionary'' While the primary meaning for a bridge is a structure which links "two points at a ...
) *Post Street Bridge * Monroe Street Bridge * Maple Street Bridge


Cityscape


References


External links

{{Commons category
Downtown Spokane PartnershipVisitSpokane: DowntownDowntown Spokane Map (PDF)
Geography of Spokane, Washington Neighborhoods in Spokane, Washington
Spokane Spokane ( ) is the most populous city in eastern Washington and the county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It lies along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south ...