The Community Building is the cornerstone of the diverse social, cultural and architectural experiment that founder Jim Sheehan initiated with the renovation of the three-story building on West Main Avenue in Spokane. The building was home to a textile factory and a dry goods warehouse before it was purchased by brewer James Gimurtu in 1994 and rechristened the Birkebeiner Brewery. While the Birkebeiner was clearly a bright spot in what, historically, had been a seedy part of the city’s downtown core, it didn’t last. Looking at the same block today, with its remodeled buildings and new vibrancy, it’s hard to appreciate what Gimurtu was up against.
From its inception in 2001, the Community Building’s primary tenant has been the non-profit law firm, the Center for Justice, that Sheehan founded in 1999. The Center’s diverse legal and public advocacy work—from high profile civil rights litigation to housing the new Spokane Riverkeeper program—still helps define the center of gravity for the variety of community endeavors that continue to be born and grow on the block. The Community Building also hosts a first-rate child care center, a growing community radio station, an eclectic Fair Trade store (Kizuri) as well as a host of specialized public advocacy projects.
One feature that helps define the Community Building’s purpose and atmosphere is the large, elegant lobby on the ground floor. The space is used night and day for meetings, performances, dancing, singing and, in calmer stretches of time, for piano practice and quiet conversation.