Spokane’s most iconic parking structure has been listed on the Washington Heritage Register and may soon receive national recognition.

In March 1967, amid an effort to revitalize the downtown core, a towering, concrete parking garage with a spiral entry known as the Parkade made its debut. It was lauded as an attractive, modern marvel, and a crucial piece in driving shoppers back into the heart of the city, said State Architectural Historian Michael Houser.

“In the post-World War II period, there was the flight to suburbia, and all the malls coming online,” Houser said. “And it was kind of a, ‘Hey, we need to do something downtown to make it easier for people to shop down here.’ ”

That “something” came in the form of a $3.5 million, 10-story parking garage made possible by a group of Sp

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