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81-571: Designed by the Spokane-based architecture firm, Walker, McGough, Foltz & Lyerla, the original part of the convention center was constructed from 1972 to 1974 as a part of a single auditorium-convention center building that would serve as the Washington State Pavilion for Spokane's Expo '74 . The 117,000-square-foot (10,900 m) pavilion consisted of two components: a 40,000-square-foot (3,700 m) exhibit hall on

162-411: A change in board membership. Currently the board consists of: The board of directors is also advised by the following committees: The executive team for Spokane Transit Authority consists of the following positions: As of December 2022, Spokane Transit has 177 buses in its fleet. Included in the fleet are: 23241-23243 [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] Transit history in

243-573: A downtown urban area, the Spokane Convention Center has 27,600 square feet (2,560 m) of roof terraces and lawns as outdoor event space. Spokane Convention Center is served by Spokane Transit Authority and can be accessed directly through STA route 25 and is within one block of stops for routes 1, 26, 27, 28, and 39. Expo %2774 Expo '74 , officially known as the International Exposition on

324-597: A large amount of railroads in the middle of the city were beginning to be realized. The elevated railway, warehouses, and other lines leading into the park severely restricted both physical and visual access to the Spokane River and its falls, leading some locals to compare it to the Great Wall of China . Additionally, the high volume of train traffic created a very noisy downtown, and numerous at-grade railroad crossings were causing traffic congestion issues. By

405-423: A municipal corporation was created to administer mass transit services for a new public transportation benefit area (PTBA). The new PTBA represented a shift in funding and operational model of Spokane Transit System from a city model to a regional model. Due to rapid inflation in the late 1970s and early 1980s , the flat $ 1 city tax on households that had funded Spokane Transit System was no longer keeping up with

486-562: A network of high performance transit with frequent service connecting key neighborhoods and activity centers throughout the region. In response to a significant decline in sales tax revenue resulting from the Great Recession , Spokane Transit undertook service reductions in 2010 and 2011. Despite the cuts, ridership increased, reaching an all-time high for Spokane Transit Authority in 2014, with 11.3 million passengers on its fixed route system. In 2016, voters approved an increase in

567-765: A real estate development plan. By 1896, the leading streetcar system was the Spokane Street Railway Company, with 23 miles of railway. Its network of lines was described as a "cartwheel" that emanated from a "hub" at the intersection of Riverside Avenue and Howard Street in downtown Spokane. By 1910, streetcar lines were owned and operated by two competing companies: Washington Water Power and Spokane Traction Company. In addition to urban street railways, each company had interests in electric Interurban lines that stretched as far away as Moscow, Idaho . In that year, streetcar and interurban ridership peaked at 37.98 million rides. The decade following 1910

648-515: A regional model allowed the transit agency to heavily increase bus service to areas beyond Spokane city limits. Prior to the election, service outside city limits was limited, since no tax subsidies were collected outside the city limits. The restructured system operated under three branches; Spokane Transit Authority for Regional Transportation (START) was the administrative body, the Spokane Transit System (STS) name remained for

729-579: A three-day transition period with no fares collection while new fare boxes were installed. STA's prior system, while also accepting cash, utilized paper transfers and metal coin tokens. STA launched the Connect Card with a companion eConnect app on October 1, 2022. The fare collection system, developed by INIT, can accept the Connect Card via NFC and the mobile eConnect app. The Connect Card and mobile eConnect app are linked to an online account-based fare management system. Users can reload balances via

810-514: A unique architectural statement, and a monument to the 1974 exposition. As with other expositions, numerous souvenirs were produced and sold both at the site and for years afterwards. Dance : Cheremosh Ukrainian Dance Company Spokane Transit Authority Spokane Transit Authority , more commonly Spokane Transit or STA , is the public transport authority of central Spokane County , Washington , United States , serving Spokane, Washington , and its surrounding urban areas. In 2023,

891-419: A waterfall between the up- and down- escalators, it generated great controversy. In September 1998, Spokane Transit implemented a major revision of the bus network, the largest change to the bus network in 17 years. Routes were consolidated to provide more frequency on busy corridors and all route numbers were revised, primarily according to geography. In addition to the local sales tax, a major revenue source

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972-478: Is governed by a board of directors which includes nine positions filled by elected officials who must be appointed by the municipal jurisdictions that form the agency, and one position appointed by the Board upon recommendation by the labor organizations representing the public transportation employees within the local public transportation system pursuant to state law. Originally, the board consisted of 2 members from

1053-469: The Bureau of International Expositions as well as an additional study that was commissioned in the fall of 1970, and results both came back very positive. The 1974 world expo was identified as the target event. Efforts to host the expo just three-and-a-half years later began immediately and was a tall order considering that Spokane would be the smallest city at the time to ever host a World's Fair, and that

1134-460: The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad , as well as regional ones like Oregon Railway . By 1914, Union Pacific had built their own station on the park's site, along with elevated tracks leading up to it. The heart of Downtown Spokane would become a hub for passenger and freight rail transport and remained that way for several decades. By the mid-20th century, the problems of having

1215-820: The City Line , began service in July 2023 and traverses from east–west through Downtown Spokane and the University District, running between the Browne's Addition neighborhood and the Spokane Community College Transit Center . A second line, with a working project name of Division BRT , is currently in design and planned to run north–south through Spokane along Division Street , with a goal of starting construction in 2026 and commencing service between 2027 and 2029 dependent on

1296-566: The Northern Pacific Railway lines further to the south in Downtown Spokane, freeing up the site for construction. Construction that would transform the site to host the environmentally-themed Expo '74 began with the removal of a ceremonial "first spike " at a ground-breaking ceremony on May 8, 1972. The Great Northern depot on Havermale Island and Union Pacific on Spokane Falls Boulevard were both demolished early

1377-813: The Philippines , the United States and the USSR . Architectural critics were intrigued by the Australian Pavilion with its 36 screen revolving audio visual platform and a model of the newly completed Sydney Opera House . (The artistic director for the project was film director Jonathan Dawson ). However, writer Calvin Trillin tartly commented that the exhibits of several other countries seemed designed to demonstrate their nation's lack of environmental care. "While other world's fairs had introduced

1458-633: The Valley Transit Center , an off-street passenger facility located on 4th Avenue at University Road in Spokane Valley , featuring a large passenger island with covered seating. The facility included a park and ride lot among other amenities. At the urging of the downtown business community, Spokane Transit built a transit center in 1995 to replace the historic Howard and Riverside hub which required that buses park along many downtown streets for passengers to make transfers. Not only

1539-533: The 1950s, the core of Downtown Spokane began to empty out due to suburbanization , a trend that was prevalent amongst many American cities during this time. This trend sparked urban renewal discussions in Spokane and in 1959, a group called Spokane Unlimited was formed by local business leaders to try and revitalize Downtown Spokane . The group would hire New York-based Ebasco Services to create an urban renewal plan, which would be released in 1961 and called for

1620-540: The Bureau of International Expositions gave their sign-off on the event as well. With approvals and funding falling in place, one last challenge was transforming the site and removing the railroads. Through intense negotiations, the Expo '74 planners, including King Cole were miraculously able to convince the railroads to agree to a land swap and donate the land needed for the Expo site. The railroads were consolidated onto

1701-499: The Chief!", to Nixon's speech. The hecklers were ignored by Nixon, who continued to give his opening day remarks. In keeping with the fair's environmental theme, other opening day events included the release of 1,974 rainbow trout into the Spokane River, and releasing 1,000 pigeons into the sky. Nations with an official presence at the fair included Australia , Canada , West Germany , Iran , Japan , Taiwan , Republic of Korea ,

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1782-743: The City of Spokane, 2 members from the Spokane County Commission, 1 member from each of the Cities of Airway Heights, Cheney, Medical Lake, and the Town of Millwood, and one additional member alternately held by an official from the City of Spokane and Spokane County. The City of Liberty Lake was incorporated in August 2001, and the City of Spokane Valley was incorporated in March 2003, necessitating

1863-658: The DEIS forecast less than 3,500 daily boardings on the 15.5-mile system in 2025. An advisory vote in 2006 elicited a negative response to continued planning and investment in the light rail project. In 2008, transit consultants Nelson-Nygaard Associates recommended changes to transit operations downtown while retaining the use of the Plaza transfer facility. Spokane Transit adopted a new comprehensive plan, Connect Spokane, in June 2010, to guide system planning and growth. The plan calls for

1944-612: The Environment, Spokane 1974 , was a world's fair held May 4, 1974, to November 3, 1974, in Spokane, Washington in the northwest United States . It was the first environmentally themed world's fair and attended by roughly 5.6 million people. The heart of the fair park grounds was located on Canada Island, Havermale Island, and the adjacent south bank of the Spokane River , comprising present-day Riverfront Park , in

2025-503: The Spokane area dates back more than 130 years beginning with the inaugural trip of a horse-drawn streetcar running between downtown Spokane and the Browne's Addition neighborhood to the west in 1888. The first electrically powered streetcar began operations November 1889 and traveled between downtown Spokane through what is now the University District. Over the next several decades, multiple private interests constructed and operated streetcars and cable cars typically as an integral part of

2106-482: The US pavilion was a thick vinyl sheeting that was not designed to last. It was allowed to remain until it began to deteriorate, become unsightly and was thought a safety hazard. When the city opted to remove the covering, chunks of the thick vinyl could be purchased as keep-sakes. The tent design itself with its heavy cables was not intended to stay up, however the people of Spokane voiced the opinion that it should remain as

2187-558: The United States, Spokane ranks 20th in transit ridership per capita using 2019 ridership data. Spokane Transit provides multiple services: Spokane Transit has 51 fixed routes operating year-round on published schedules. Routes are numbered to reflect service class by the number of digits as described in the table below. Key geography is reflected in the first digit of regular service, while numbering of target service with triple reflects key markets and underlying geography through

2268-690: The Universal Transit Access Pass (UTAP) program with a "utility charge" for each ride taken by eligible participants. Spokane Transit currently maintains UTAP contracts with Eastern Washington University , Washington State University Spokane , Community Colleges of Spokane , Whitworth University , Gonzaga University and the University of Washington School of Medicine in Spokane (via Gonzaga University); City of Spokane for employees and elected officials; and, Spokane County for employees and elected officials. Spokane Transit

2349-462: The ability of a city the modest size of Spokane to create a successful event caused many nations and corporations to hesitate about making major investments in the fair. Kodak , General Motors , and Ford hosted pavilions at this fair but they were scaled down in size and presence compared to the exhibits constructed for the New York World's Fair ten years earlier. For the first time since

2430-625: The app, at the STA Plaza , or partnered retail locations. The pass allows for fare-capping and allows users to lock the cards if a card is lost or stolen. In July 2023, the system began accepting contactless payments including Visa , Mastercard , Discover , and digital wallets ( Apple Pay and Google Pay ) with onboard fare collection boxes as well as off-board fare validators and fare vending machines. Spokane Transit provides multiple fare instruments, including employee, youth, and college passes. Additionally, organizations may participate in

2511-833: The bus. On October 1, 2022, Spokane Transit inaugurated a new accounted-based fare collection system, known as the Connect fare system. The fare system includes online account management, a smart card known as the Connect card, and a mobile app, STA Connect. The new system caps fares collected on a daily and monthly basis and includes several discount programs . A "Rider's License" allows youth ages 6–18 to ride with zero fare. Traditional fareboxes remain on all fixed route coaches, allowing riders to pay with cash or older media as described below. As of 2021, fares on Spokane Transit can be paid in cash, or with pre-paid passes and transfers programmed to magnetic stripe cards or RFID smart cards. The fare payment platform went live on December 4, 2006, after

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2592-466: The centennial of Spokane, to fund the beautification. However the report stated that a local event would not have the stature to bring in enough funding for the group's beautification aspirations, and that it needed to go bigger; it suggested that Spokane host an international exposition that could bring in state and federal dollars, as well as tourists from outside Spokane, to fund a riverfront transformation. The idea to host caught on—inquiries were made to

2673-450: The center of the city. With the exception of two pavilions, all of the major buildings were modular structures assembled on the site. The fair had 5.6 million visitors and was considered a success, nearly breaking even, revitalizing the blighted urban core, and pumping an estimated $ 150 million into the local economy and surrounding region. In proclaiming itself the first exposition on an environmental theme, Expo '74 distanced itself from

2754-434: The cities of Spokane , Spokane Valley , Cheney , Liberty Lake , Airway Heights , Medical Lake , the Town of Millwood , and unincorporated areas between and around those cities. It began operating service in 1981 after acquiring the assets of the city-operated Spokane Transit System. The agency can trace its roots to a number of private transit operators extending back to 1888. While the 98th largest metropolitan area in

2835-422: The combination of digits. Routes have distinct weekday, Saturday and Sunday schedule patterns. Most national holidays operate on a Saturday schedule with New Year's day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas day operating on a Sunday schedule. As of 2023, Spokane Transit has one bus rapid transit line within the region as part of its planned High Performance Transit network, with a second in development. The first line,

2916-432: The company's beginning, General Electric did not have a fair pavilion but it sponsored the musical group Up with People that performed during the summer at the fair. Expo '74's official logo debuted in March 1972 and was designed by Spokane artist Lloyd L. Carlson. The logo is a stylized Möbius strip , an endless three-dimensional form, which was chosen to symbolize the continuity of life and mankind's relationship with

2997-440: The convention center. Because of land constraints, a hall of that size (which would more than double the square footage of the existing convention center) would have to be built non-contiguously with the existing building and connected with an interior walkway, unlike the seamless addition of the prior Ag Trade Center expansion. By August 2003, the east site was selected as the home for the new exhibit halls and on September 2, 2003,

3078-629: The convention center. The $ 41 million expansion broke ground in July 2013 and provided a seamless addition to the north side of the Group Health Exhibit Hall and included expanding the exhibition space, adding more meeting rooms, and improving the Centennial Trail that runs adjacent to the convention center along the river. The 90,000 square feet (8,400 m) addition opened in February 2015. The "Exhibit Halls" are

3159-422: The development of the nearby Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena (a building that was completed in 1995) was tasked to take on a major expansion of the Spokane Convention Center along with the development of other public venues around the Spokane area. In May 2002, Spokane County voters approved a ballot measure that enabled the design and construction of a 100,000 square feet (9,300 m) exhibition hall addition to

3240-401: The east side of the building and a 2,700-seat opera house on the west side. These programmatic elements were strategically located in this fashion to allow for future expansion of the exhibit hall onto vacant land to the east and north of pavilion once it became a convention center. The exhibit hall component was converted into a convention center after fair ended and the opera house portion of

3321-423: The environment. The three colors, blue, green, and white, also symbolized the environmental theme of the fair, representing the purity of clean water, the unspoiled natural beauty of growing plants and trees, and the cleanliness of fresh air, respectively. US President Richard Nixon presided over the fair's opening ceremony on May 4, 1974, where he addressed a crowd of some 85,000. Nixon had high praise of

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3402-444: The exterior of the bus. Most park and ride lots feature bike lockers that can be rented on a monthly basis. The New Flyer Xcelsior 60' articulating electric buses implemented on the City Line accommodate bikes on board the bus via the rear doors. Fare structure as of May 2023: As of October 2022, the standard fare costs $ 2.00 and permits the rider to board any route for a period of two hours from initial purchase or validation on

3483-653: The facility became Spokane Opera House (now known as the First Interstate Center for the Arts ). The architecture firm that originally designed the Washington State Pavilion was retained to design the $ 2 million conversion of the exhibit hall space into a convention center. Over the course of its history, the Spokane Convention Center has had two major expansions, with a third set to break ground in July 2013. The $ 9.8 million Washington State International Agricultural Trade Center addition broke ground in 1987 and

3564-489: The failed votes, Cole formed a grassroots citizen group, called the Associations for a Better Community (ABC), to build community support through the 1960s around the idea of beautifying the riverfront and turning Havermale Island into a park. With support around beautification growing, Spokane Unlimited would go on to commission a feasibility study in 1970 for using a marquee event, proposed to be in 1973 to celebrate

3645-509: The fair and its environmental theme, noting Washington state's role as the first state in the nation to have environmental protection laws, and urged nations to work together to clean up the environment around the world. The opening of Expo '74 occurred in the midst of the Watergate Scandal investigation , which Nixon was deeply embroiled in, bringing the presence of a number of protestors and hecklers, some of whom shouted "Jail to

3726-558: The fair are still standing. The Washington State Pavilion still stands and is used as the Spokane Convention Center and the First Interstate Center for the Arts . The building constructed to house Spokane's iconic Looff Carrousel was disassembled in March 2017 (it housed a German beer garden during the fair), with a new building planned. The carrousel originated in Natatorium Park, which closed in 1967, and

3807-546: The falls by the early 20th century. All of the industrialization would engulf and obscure the area from public access and view. The presence of railroads within the downtown core was noted by the Olmsted Brothers in 1908 when they began to develop a master plan for parks in the City of Spokane. As the brothers were planning in the Spokane River Gorge, they skipped the area that would later become

3888-662: The fixed route bus operation, and Spokane Area Special Transportation Agency (SASTA) operated the paratransit services. The three names were unified about one and half years later in September 1982 under the Spokane Transit Authority name and brand. The name change officially took effect on September 23, 1982, after the START Board passed a resolution renaming the municipal corporation to Spokane Transit Authority. In September 1989, Spokane Transit opened

3969-592: The following spring) of the older portions of the convention center which included the conversion of the old exhibition spaces into ballrooms. The new exhibition hall has enabled Spokane to compete at a larger stage for convention business and has helped bring in events such as the USA Volleyball Pacific Northwest Qualifier on several occasions that wouldn't have been possible without the expansion. In 2012, voters approved another ballot measure to allow an additional expansion to

4050-645: The following year despite protests from preservationists. Spokane was the smallest city to host a world's fair recognized by the Bureau International des Expositions until Knoxville, Tennessee held the 1982 World's Fair eight years later (although the Spokane metropolitan area is still smaller than the Knoxville metropolitan area ). World's Fairs began at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution as public showcases. Expo '74

4131-495: The formation of a unified streetcar system featuring "universal transfers" between lines and empowering the company to convert some lines to trolleybuses on its own discretion. Following the successful measure, the Spokane United Railway Company was formed as a subsidiary to Washington Water Power (later, Avista Corporation ), creating a unified electric streetcar system. The street railway system

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4212-621: The front wall of the pavilion. It was the largest indoor movie screen at the time and had bigger dimension than a typical drive-in movie screen . 'The quote, "The Earth does not belong to Man, Man belongs to the Earth" (attributed to Chief Seattle) was written in large letters on the outside wall. Inside the pavilion, visitors watched "Man Belongs to the Earth," a 23-minute IMAX film made for Expo by Paramount. Scenes of U.S. splendor led into environmental problems including air pollution in Denver. The film

4293-505: The main facility at the convention center. The space consists of 120,000 square feet (11,000 m) and can be subdivided into six separate areas. The space is primarily used for trade shows, conventions, and sporting events. Spokane Convention Center has three ballroom facilities, totaling 50,700 square feet (4,710 m). The "Grand Ballroom" is the largest ballroom in Spokane and the convention center and holds 1,630 guests for catered events and up to 2,700 for general admission. The space

4374-562: The more techno-centric world's fairs of the 1960s. The environmental theme was promoted in several high-profile events, such as a symposium on United Nations World Environment Day (June 5) attended by more than 1,200 people including many international representatives, and ECAFE Day for the United Nations Economic Council for Asia and the Far East (June 14) that discussed regional environment issues. Spokane

4455-577: The opening of the North Spokane Corridor . Spokane Transit operates four transit centers as of June 2023: Spokane Transit operates a total of 14 park-and-ride facilities throughout its service area, several of which are operated through cooperative agreements with other property owners to allow parking access to transit services. At the end of 2022, Spokane Transit served 1,778 bus stops throughout its service area. All fixed routes have buses with racks that can fit three bikes on

4536-584: The ownership and management of the Spokane Convention Center (along with the opera house) was transferred from the City of Spokane to the Spokane Public Facilities District. Construction on the new Group Health Exhibit Hall began in 2004 and was completed in the summer of 2006, several months ahead of the 2007 United States Figure Skating Championships , in which it was a venue, along with the Spokane Arena . The building

4617-518: The plan, and the first portion to go to voters for approval, would have constructed a new government center. However, efforts to pass bonds to fund the construction were overwhelmingly defeated by Spokane voters over the next couple years, and by 1963, Spokane Unlimited had to revise its vision. They hired King Cole, who had recently worked on some urban renewal projects in California, to execute EBASCO's urban renewal plans in Spokane. In light of

4698-528: The proposed site had 16 owners, including the railroads. Funding came from local, state, and federal sources, including a new business and occupation tax that the Spokane City Council passed in September 1971 after a ballot bond measure to provide local funding failed the month prior. The event was officially recognized by then-President Richard Nixon in October 1971, and the following month,

4779-407: The removal of the numerous train tracks and trestles in downtown and reclaiming the attractiveness of the Spokane River in the central business district. The plan proposed a timeline that would incrementally renew the area over the next two decades, wrapping up in 1980, and proposed that the effort be funded through bonds, gas-taxes, and urban renewal money from the federal government. One part of

4860-428: The rising costs of its era. The household tax model had another major disadvantage; because the tax depended on the quantity of households within the tax boundaries, its revenues would only increase with the construction of new households. Meanwhile, most residential growth was occurring outside Spokane city limits. Furthermore, the flat tax on households had been viewed by some as a very regressive tax . An election

4941-575: The sale tax dedicated to public transit to implement the STA Moving Forward plan. The plan called for more and better service, new connection facilities, include new transit centers and stations, and investments in six high performance transit lines. In 2018, Spokane Transit opened the West Plains Transit Center, an investment of the STA Moving Forward plan. The addition of the transit center allows passengers between

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5022-501: The sales tax from 0.3% to 0.6% in October 2004, subject to a sunset of the tax in 2009. In May 2008, voters reauthorized the additional 0.3% sales tax with no sunset clause, with nearly 69% in favor. SRTC and STA jointly created the Light Rail Steering Committee (LRSC) in early 2000 which was responsible for studying the creation of a light rail corridor from Downtown Spokane to Liberty Lake . This effort

5103-470: The site of Expo '74, sarcastically noting that it had already been partially "improved" (with all the industrial development that was present) and hoped that the City of Spokane would eventually come to its senses and reclaim the area around the Spokane Falls for a park. Spokane would go on to become the site of four transcontinental railroads: Great Northern , Northern Pacific , Union Pacific , and

5184-517: The system had a ridership of 9,215,700, or about 36,000 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2024. Originally conceived in 1980, and authorized by voters on March 10, 1981, STA provides public transportation within the Spokane County Public Transportation Benefit Area (PBTA). As of 2023, STA's service area has a population of approximately 471,000 across 248 square miles (640 km ) including

5265-681: The telephone, the escalator, and the Belgian waffle, Spokane's Expo '74 would be associated forever with the 'institutionalized mea culpa,'" Trillin wrote in The New Yorker . One piece of technology that made its debut at Expo '74 was the IMAX movie theater. The original theater, built inside of the United States Pavilion, had a screen that measured 90 ft × 65 ft (27 m × 20 m), completely covering

5346-517: Was Washington State's motor vehicle excise tax which provided matching funds. After statewide Initiative I-695 was passed in 1999, the legislature eliminated the matching funds even though the initiative was later found unconstitutional. The period after the elimination of the motor vehicle excise tax was a time of unprecedented change for Spokane Transit. As its undesignated cash reserves balance fell, Spokane Transit attempted to increase its tax authority from 0.3% to 0.6% in September 2002, but it

5427-515: Was a time of intense competition for the streetcars, with growing automobile ownership and private jitneys that threatened the viability of a divided transit system. By the end of the decade, Spokane Traction Company fell into receivership and underwent reorganizations that were unsuccessful in returning the system to profitability. In 1922, Spokane citizens overwhelmingly voted to amend the city charter to reduce taxes and other special assessments imposed on streetcar operations and infrastructure, enabling

5508-484: Was designed in part to host that event, which required a hall with a column-free layout for a temporary ice rink to be set up in. The exhibit hall is connected to the older portions of the convention center via an elevated walkway that runs along the banks of the Spokane River. After the completion of the new exhibit hall the Public Facilities District began a renovation project (that was completed

5589-469: Was gradually phased out through the 1930s to make way for motorized coaches. Bus ridership reached a peak in the Spokane area in 1946 with 26 million passengers. The system was purchased by Spokane City Lines Company (part of National City Lines ) in 1945, and later turned over to the City of Spokane in 1968. Upon acquisition by the city, funding for the system was derived from a $ 1 household tax. In 1980,

5670-421: Was held on March 10, 1981, to determine the future of public transportation in the Spokane region. The election measure, which passed and was subsequently implemented the following month of April 1981, replaced the $ 1 tax on households within Spokane city limits with a 0.3% sales tax to be applied throughout the public transportation benefit area. The shift in the transit agency's funding and administrative model

5751-485: Was initially settled in the late 1800s along the Spokane Falls of the Spokane River , a site which was chosen because of the falls ' hydropower potential to support a late 19th century city and its economy. As Spokane began to grow over its early years, the area would become heavily industrialized with numerous sawmills, flour mills, and hydroelectricity generators. Railroading would eventually develop around

5832-460: Was not isolated to Spokane. Many other cities and regions in Washington state including the cities of Vancouver and Tacoma, as well as King County, Pierce County, Snohomish County, and Clark County had already shifted from a city household tax model to a county-wide transit system funded by sales tax. In addition to adapting its funding model to reflect the current economic times, the shift to

5913-415: Was opened on January 17, 1989. The facility was constructed as a seamless addition to the north side of the existing convention center and featured a 270-seat conference theater, 13 meeting rooms on two levels, an additional exhibition/banquet hall, and a rooftop patio above the theater. In the early 2000s, the Spokane Public Facilities District, which had originally been created in the late 1980s to oversee

5994-461: Was preceded by significant study by the SRTC. In 2006 the committee published a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) which evaluated several rail and bus alternatives for the corridor. The committee stated preference for a single-track rail corridor using diesel multiple units (DMU) that would cost less than half the conventional light rail system. The travel demand modeling performed as part of

6075-464: Was rejected by voters 48% to 52%. Research following the failed ballot measure pointed to limited understanding of the agency's organizational structure, performance and financial conditions. Spokane Transit created task force to study changes that could be made to regain the support of the community, while simultaneously preparing for a potential 40% service decrease. After increased public participation, and 69% voter approval, Spokane Transit increased

6156-706: Was restored for the World's Fair. An additional six structures, including the Republic of China Pavilion, were moved 150 miles south to Walla Walla where they were re-purposed to be used as classrooms and a performing arts theater for the Walla Walla Community College . Several sculptures created for the fair remain at Riverfront Park, including the Garbage Goat designed by the "welding nun" Paula Mary Turnbull . The original covering of

6237-500: Was so realistic—especially during a sequence flying through the Grand Canyon—that motion sickness bags had to be made available.' The fair also featured the interactive movie system Kinoautomat . Pacific Northwest Bell had a pavilion that eliminated the use of air conditioning by using louvered panels on the roof. They demonstrated the use of TTY equipment and discussed the use of 911 for emergency telephone services. Expo '74

6318-584: Was the first fair in decades that did not focus on the space age, futuristic themes, or utopian ideas of living. An environmental theme was decided upon by the organizing committee, but there was some uncertainty about it because it had never been used previously by a World's Fair to that time. After considering several other slogans, such as "How Man Can Live, Work and Play in Harmony With His Environment", Expo '74 settled on "Celebrating Tomorrow's Fresh New Environment." Uncertainty about

6399-494: Was the last time that the Bell system would exhibit at a world's fair before its breakup ten years later. After the event closed, the exposition site became the city's 100-acre (40 ha) Riverfront Park , containing the former U.S. Pavilion and a clock tower (part of a Great Northern rail depot that was demolished for Expo '74), which are featured prominently in the park's past and current logos. Several structures built for

6480-656: Was the original exhibit hall for the convention center, but was renovated into its present-day use as a ballroom following the opening of the new exhibit hall building 2006. The "Junior Ballroom" seats up to 1,475 guests in a reception format. A third ballroom, the "Centennial" was added as part of the convention center's expansion from 2013 to 2015, and can hold up to 1,500 guests in a reception seating format. The convention center has 33,080 square feet (3,073 m) of meeting room space consisting of 14 rooms, which can be further subdivided into 30 total spaces. It also has an 805 square feet (74.8 m) boardroom. Despite being in

6561-405: Was this uncomfortable for passengers, who were forced to wait for buses in the weather, but it also made the streetside businesses less accessible to customers. The bus center, known as "The Plaza" was constructed as an indoor urban park at a cost of approximately $ 20 million including property acquisition costs. With its high, daylight ceiling, imported Italian tile, and cougar statues leaping over

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