SPOKANE, Wash. -- A Spokane-native is on a mission to bring life back to Spokane's older and unused buildings.
Rob Brewster's company, InterUrban Development, is behind projects you may have already heard about in Spokane such as the Spokane Central Market Downtown or the 11th Street Cafe in the Perry District. While Rob's ties are the biggest driving factors, partner, Steve DeWalt, said it is not the only reason.
"In Spokane there's still fantastic buildings around, there's space there's also fantastic downtown to work with," DeWalt said.
InterUrban Development's latest projects consist of keeping the old and making them new.
"There's really something that you can't get with a new building, that you can do with an old building. I think that's probably the short answer. There's details and history and texture that you can't recreate without time. So, I think that's historically why we're drawn to these older buildings," DeWalt said.
DeWalt adds that they have also had more success with attracting new or small businesses when they renovate an older space.
"It also allows to you connect with the identity or the history of a place a lot easier. Regardless of what project we're doing, we're always looking to figure out how to best positively influence the surrounding neighborhood, city or community," DeWalt explained.
The company is already making progress with transforming the main floor of Umpqua Bank Downtown into the "Spokane Central Market." It is also heading into construction on the McKinley School and their most recent project in the South Perry District at the 11th Avenue Cafe. InterUrban Development has other projects in Seattle and Portland but DeWalt said Spokane and its city staff have become the most supportive locations.
"So when we come to them and say, 'Hey we're thinking about doing this, what do you think about it?’ They said, ‘That's great, we're totally on board with it.’ So that support is also factor in why we're over here," DeWalt said.
He said it is for these reasons we can expect see more projects coming to Spokane and breathing new life into the city.