The makeover continues at Riverfront Park as Avista launches a three-month project to improve two of my favorite spots in Spokane: the iconic, art-deco Upper Falls Powerhouse and the City's Theme Stream Bridge on the west edge of Riverfront Park. This will include repainting the powerhouse in its original colors (peach), rebuilding the bridge and removing non-native vegetation to enhance the view of the Spokane River’s upper falls.

They'll repaint the seawall at the base of the building and railings around the building with colors that are consistent with the plant’s 1920s-era origin.

Another aspect of the project is rebuilding the bridge over the lower portion of the Theme Stream, constructed as an ornamental feature for the 1974 Expo World’s Fair. Located just off Post Street in Riverfront Park, the bridge is being reconstructed to handle heavier vehicle loads. The bridge is an important access point to Riverfront Park and is also used for larger trucks and equipment to access the powerhouse. As a part of this work, old abandoned concrete ducts located between the road and the river that led to the powerhouse are being removed.

During the project, the former YMCA parking lots in Riverfront Park near the Upper Falls Powerhouse and east of the Theme Stream Bridge will be affected. The lower lot near the powerhouse will be closed for the duration of the project while the upper lot to the south will be closed Sept. 3 through Sept. 30 only. The main parking lot located immediately east of Post Street will remain open through the project.

Construction will run through November 2013 in advance of Avista’s 125th Anniversary and the 40th Anniversary of the Expo World’s Fair in Riverfront Park.  

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