x
Breaking News
More () »

Preserving the Expo 74 butterfly in downtown Spokane

There is only one butterfly left from the original World's Fair in 1974. There were five in total that would indicate the entrances to the fair.

SPOKANE, Wash. — There is only one butterfly left from the original World's Fair in 1974. There were five in total, indicating the entrances to the fair. 

The last butterfly was brought down by a windstorm in 2021. It took nearly two years for the Lilac City to restore the iconic landmark, revealing the renovated butterfly in October 2023. 

RELATED: City of Spokane to hold ribbon cutting ceremony for renovated butterfly

"I was just the person who was asking questions and letting the city know that it's important to the people of Spokane, that there's lots of fans of the structure here, and it's also an iconic visual of our city," said Jennifer Leinberger, who went to the Expo in 1974. 

The butterfly has a unique shape because it is modeled after the Expo mobius shape. 

"Spokane has gone through so many butterfly and cocoon moments and reinvented itself over the decades," Leinberger said. "It's [a] perfect symbol for Spokane, and we should absolutely keep it."

KREM ON SOCIAL MEDIA: FacebookTwitterInstagramYouTube

DOWNLOAD THE KREM SMARTPHONE APP 
DOWNLOAD FOR IPHONE HEREDOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID HERE

HOW TO ADD THE KREM+ APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE

ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching for KREM in the Channel Store.

Fire TV: Search for "KREM" to find the free app to add to your account. Another option for Fire TV is to have the app delivered directly to your Fire TV through Amazon.

Apple TV: Search "Spokane News from KREM" in the Apple store or  follow this link.

To report a typo or grammatical error, please email webspokane@krem.com. 

Before You Leave, Check This Out