REBEL WITH A CAUSE

In his dreams, Glen Cloninger visualized an imposing design for Spokane’s tallest office building complex, complete with an underground and above-ground parking garage, to be constructed on his very own property sometime during his anticipated forty-plus year architectural career. He had enough time and financial wherewithal to wait patiently. There was no question in his mind that Spokane Falls Boulevard (formerly Trent Avenue) was the prime site for the ambitious project. His various partnerships already owned parcels of it, all on the same block. Over the years, they’d been acquiring pieces of the whole. During frequent visits, he strolled around the block bordered by Spokane Falls Boulevard (formerly Trent Avenue), Washington Street, Main Avenue and Bernard Street, imagining towering, magnificent, twin edifices from different perspectives. He determined that the main entrance would front on Spokane Falls Boulevard, directly across the street from Riverfront Park, the Spokane River, Opera House, and Convention Center. Not many architects could garner such a legacy. However, an allegorical minefield lined with barbed-wire menace was striving to stand in his way. Glen would need to put on his rebel hat. His cause would require it.