In 1974, Spokane became the smallest city to ever host a World’s Fair. The community used the opportunity to re-vitalize the depressed downtown district, erecting many buildings and opening up outdoor spaces, the seeds of which would later become Riverfront Park.
The largest structure of the fair was the USA Pavilion. Its motto was “Man and Nature: One and Indivisible.” In keeping with the environmental theme of the show, the structure was built to resemble a giant tent, with grass and trees on the inside. Inside the pavilion, visitors were shown displays about the environmental concerns of the day and treated to the world’s first IMAX movie, “Man belongs to the Earth.”
The cloth cover, which was never meant to last, was removed. Due to the actions of Spokane citizen groups, the skeleton of the USA Pavilion remained standing through the years as Riverfront Park grew around it. It contained an ice-skating arena and an IMAX theater until the most recent renovation.
The Pavilion in 1874 during the World Fair, Spokane, Wa. Photo taken By Jacob Dormaier, 1917-2007 - NWC 129
In December 2017, renovations on the Pavilion began. This was one of the five key projects focused on bringing the Pavilion back to life as the community’s central gathering place.
The $22.6 million dollar investment focused on river views, light, and shade while creating a multi-use event space to host everything from community festivals, to arts and cultural activities, fitness classes, concerts, and graduations.
Here is a closer look to the newest additions to the pavilion:
The newly remodeled pavilion features 479 high-tech, programmable illumination blades that light up the iconic structure like a lantern, and are capable of performing dazzling light displays with various patterns and colors. The light blades vary from 3 to 6 feet in length, with a total of 2,262 linear feet of illumination. Each one foot increment of blade can be controlled separately.
Light Show, December 2020
Beautiful panoramic views of the river and downtown are viewable from the Pavilion as it boasts an ADA accessible catwalk that culminates in a viewing platform nearly 40 feet up the Pavilion mast.
Seventy two aesthetic but functional panels provide increasing shade throughout the day, partially covering the Pavilion to benefit visitors during a wide range of activities while allowing for those incredible panoramic views.
The interior of the Pavilion now boasts 37,000 square feet of grass-covered amphitheater-style seating where visitors can do everything from picnicking, to yoga, to watching a national act on the new flexible use event floor of 22,000 square feet. And, of course, visitors can catch a light display under the Pavilion.
These renovations were completed in September of 2020.
The Pavilion, March 2022
The Pavilion, March 2022
Logging Requirements:
Logging Requirements:
🔷To log this Virtual Cache: Please (A) send me the answers to the following questions via a Geocaching.Com message or email and (B) Attach your photo with your found log.
🔷 BOTH A and B of the logging requirements are required to log this cache. Please don't forget to complete the logging requirements in full because I really don't want to delete logs. Logs from cachers who fail to either complete the logging requirements or fail to complete ALL the logging requirements will be deleted one week after cache has been logged.
🔷 Geocaching with a group? I will be happy to accept one email for the group, as long as whoever sends the answers tells me who all was with them. A group photo will also be acceptable if there are as many people in the photo as geocaching names. So if you are geocaching with a group, but do not want to be included in a group photo, you must upload your own photo with your log in order to log this cache. Remember: if both A and B of the logging requirements are not fulfilled within one week after logging the cache, your log will be deleted!
🔷 Encounter a fence when approaching the Pavilion? There are a lot of events that happen at this location. When there is an event, the Parks Department has a habit of temporarily fencing off some approaches during the event. However, they usually only PARTIALLY fence it off, while still allowing entrance from some approaches, such as when approaching from the direction of the Clock Tower. It is the responsibility of the cacher to find the open approach to get to the pavilion in order to log this cache. Like any other cache, if the location is unavailable due to temporary fencing, construction or such, you cannot find or log that cache until you can get to the location. You must return at another time. We will not accept logs without the proper logging requirements, even if there is a temporary fence in place.
(1) When standing within the pavilion, there is a quote on the wall. Tell me who said this quote.
(2) The pavilion originally contained an ice-skating arena. In the most recent renovations, an ice ribbon was built elsewhere in the park to replace the Pavilion’s ice-skating rink. How far away from the pavilion is this new ice ribbon? (You may answer in either miles or time it takes to walk there. Hint: This information is on a sign at the Pavillion.)
(3) Please attach a photo of either yourself, your GPS, your kids, your pets, or your hand giving a thumbs up or peace sign with this Pavilion in the background. Please don't post any photos that can answer all of the questions at once!
⭐️ Congratulations to kjiersten for being the First to Find!! ⭐️
Virtual Rewards 3.0 - 2022-2023
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between March 1, 2022 and March 1, 2023. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 3.0 on the Geocaching Blog.