First Interstate Center for the Arts facts for kids
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Exterior view of the First Interstate Center for the Arts from Riverfront Park (c.2011)
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| Former names | Washington State Pavilion Opera House (1974) Spokane Opera House (1974-2006) INB Performing Arts Center (2006-18) |
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| Address | 334 W Spokane Falls Blvd Spokane, WA 99201-0212 |
| Location | Riverside |
| Owner | Spokane Public Facilities District |
| Capacity | 2,700 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | May 1, 1974 |
| Renovated | Late 2000s - Early 2010s; 2018 |
| Construction cost | US$10.8 million ($75.6 million in 2022 dollars ) |
The First Interstate Center for the Arts is a large theater in Spokane, Washington. It has 2,700 seats for shows and events. You can find it in Downtown Spokane, right by the Spokane River. It's also next to the Spokane Convention Center. The Spokane Public Facilities District owns and runs this building.
Contents
A Look Back: The Center's Story
The First Interstate Center for the Arts has a cool history. It was built between 1972 and 1974. It opened for a big event called Expo '74 in Spokane. Back then, it was known as the Washington State Pavilion Opera House.
Grand Opening in 1974
The theater officially opened on May 1, 1974. A special party, called a gala, celebrated its grand opening. Famous performers were there. These included Roberta Peters from the Metropolitan Opera. Also, Edward Villella and Lucette Aldous from the New York City Ballet performed.
Becoming Part of Spokane
After Expo '74 ended, the city of Spokane took over running the theater. The plan was for the city to eventually own the building. This transfer of ownership happened on April 20, 1979. Washington State Governor Dixy Lee Ray signed the bill. This made the theater officially Spokane's property.
New Owners and Names
The City of Spokane owned the theater until September 2, 2003. Then, the Spokane Public Facilities District took over. They now own and run the theater.
Changing Names Over Time
In 2006, a bank called Inland Northwest Bank bought the rights to name the theater. They paid $1.5 million for 10 years. So, the theater was renamed the INB Performing Arts Center. In 2015, the bank renewed this naming deal for another 10 years.
However, things changed again in 2018. Another company, First Interstate BancSystem, bought Inland Northwest Bank. Because of this, the theater's name changed once more. On September 19, 2018, it became the First Interstate Center for the Arts.
