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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883
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Then and Now: Washington State Pavilion

Workmen prepare the new concrete steps in front of the Washington State Pavilion in October, 1973 at the Expo ‘74 site. At this point, the building was about 65 percent complete. The pavilion, with its state-of-the-art acoustics and multimedia equipment, was built to remain after Expo as a convention center and auditorium. (Walter Hodges / THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW PHOTO ARCHIVE)
Workmen prepare the new concrete steps in front of the Washington State Pavilion in October, 1973 at the Expo ‘74 site. At this point, the building was about 65 percent complete. The pavilion, with its state-of-the-art acoustics and multimedia equipment, was built to remain after Expo as a convention center and auditorium. (Walter Hodges / THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW PHOTO ARCHIVE)
The Spokesman-Review

Almost every element of Expo ’74, Spokane’s world’s fair, was last-minute. Many major pieces came together with little time to spare before the fair opened.

But planning for the Washington State Pavilion was ahead of the curve. Ideas for the pavilion included a large exhibition hall, an auditorium and/or an “eco-center” with education facilities such as a planetarium.

With $7.5 million in state funds backing the project, the plan was narrowed to an auditorium and a smaller exhibition hall. Some early boosters hoped that the auditorium would host a hip, Broadway-style live show similar to the show “Hair,” except with an environmental theme.

Architects from Walker, McGough, Foltz & Lyerla were brought in early to bring the ideas to life. Unlike virtually every other structure at the fair, the Pavilion was meant to be a permanent building that would last long after the fair’s end.

Architect Bruce Walker and his associates were widely known for modern designs. Walker’s team had recently completed the Farm Credit Banks, a structure that appeared to be a block of marble inset with curtain walls of glass.

The Washington State Pavilion continued Walker’s design philosophy. The Pavilion was a massive block on one end, covering the auditorium that would hold almost 3,000 people. Then the roof sloped down, over a large breezeway, to the exhibit halls. Engineered glass walls looked out on the river and the Expo site.

During Expo ’74, the Pavilion theater played a film called “About Time.” The 20-minute movie was about living in harmony with nature, similar to the theme of the fair: “Man And His Environment.”

The exhibition rooms were given to art shows and displays. A small 400-seat theater in the building was dedicated to a Kinoautomat, an interactive film which combined film and live actors, offering the audience chances to choose the story line of the show.

After the fair, the Legislature eventually approved the transfer of the facility to the city, to be managed by the Sports, Entertainment, Arts and Convention Advisory Board and later by the Public Facilities District. It has been called the Opera House, the INB Performing Arts Center and the First Interstate Center for the Arts.