Demolition of the IMAX sparks controversy in Spokane.

The​ ​IMAX​ ​Movie​ ​Theater​ ​has​ ​created​ ​buzz for​ ​over​ ​four​ ​decades​ ​among​ ​tourists​ ​and locals​ ​alike,​ ​but​ ​it​ ​could​ ​be​ ​rolling​ ​its​ ​final credits​ ​sooner​ ​than​ ​later.

The​ ​theater​ ​became​ ​an​ ​iconic​ ​piece​ ​of​ ​the Spokane​ ​skyline​ ​after​ ​its​ ​initial​ ​construction in​ ​1974​ ​for​ ​the​ ​World’s​ ​Fair.​ ​In​ ​October,​ ​the Spokane​ ​City​ ​Council​ ​voted​ ​to​ ​demolish​ ​the building.

“Attendance​ ​declined​ ​after​ ​River​ ​Park Square​ ​opened​ ​their​ ​IMAX​ ​screen​ ​across the​ ​street,”​ ​said​ ​Fianna​ ​Dickson, spokeswoman​ ​for​ ​the​ ​Spokane​ ​Parks Department.​ ​“It​ ​was​ ​no​ ​longer​ ​financially viable.”

The​ ​IMAX​ ​was​ ​removed​ ​from​ ​the​ ​new Master​ ​Plan​ ​of​ ​Riverfront​ ​Park​ ​in​ ​2012​ ​when the​ ​Park​ ​Board​ ​started​ ​to​ ​see​ ​large​ ​declines in​ ​attendance​ ​and​ ​revenue.

“In​ ​2005,​ ​the​ ​IMAX​ ​made​ ​a​ ​profit​ ​of​ ​about $67,000,”​ ​she​ ​said.​ ​“By​ ​2012,​ ​we​ ​had​ ​a​ ​loss of​ ​about​ ​$165,000.”

Though​ ​the​ ​IMAX​ ​had​ ​declining​ ​revenue, some​ ​locals​ ​sought​ ​out​ ​ways​ ​to​ ​attempt​ ​to save​ ​their​ ​theater.

In​ ​an​ ​article​ ​published​ ​in​ ​The​ ​Inlander,​ ​Hal McGlathery,​ ​the​ ​former​ ​Riverfront​ ​Park Manager,​ ​said​ ​that​ ​to​ ​him​ ​it​ ​was​ ​a
‘no-brainer’​ ​to​ ​save​ ​the​ ​IMAX.

He​ ​proposed​ ​that​ ​purchasing​ ​a​ ​digital projector​ ​could​ ​potentially​ ​save​ ​the​ ​IMAX and​ ​bring​ ​in​ ​more​ ​traffic​ ​to​ ​the​ ​theater.

“We​ ​lost​ ​the​ ​ability​ ​to​ ​obtain​ ​licenses​ ​to show​ ​current-day​ ​popular​ ​films,”​ ​Dickson said.​ ​“So​ ​we​ ​focused​ ​on​ ​educational​ ​films but,​ ​those​ ​aren’t​ ​significant​ ​moneymakers.”

There​ ​are​ ​no​ ​demolition​ ​costs​ ​for​ ​the​ ​IMAX specifically​ ​but,​ ​the​ ​demolition, reconstruction,​ ​and​ ​redesign​ ​of​ ​the​ ​entire Pavilion​ ​area​ ​will​ ​cost​ ​roughly​ ​$24M.
The​ ​theater​ ​is​ ​one​ ​of​ ​three​ ​original​ ​IMAXs​ ​in the​ ​world,​ ​which​ ​is​ ​why​ ​so​ ​many​ ​people​ ​are advocating​ ​to​ ​save​ ​it.

“When​ ​the​ ​IMAX​ ​was​ ​being​ ​built,​ ​the​ ​entire city​ ​was​ ​talking​ ​about​ ​it,”​ ​said​ ​Bev​ ​Everman, a​ ​local​ ​who​ ​worked​ ​at​ ​the​ ​1974​ ​World’s Fair.​ ​“It​ ​was​ ​the​ ​talk​ ​of​ ​the​ ​town.”

The​ ​final​ ​designs​ ​for​ ​the​ ​Pavilion​ ​area​ ​are still​ ​in​ ​the​ ​works​ ​but,​ ​will​ ​be​ ​presented​ ​by, and​ ​voted​ ​on,​ ​by​ ​the​ ​Parks​ ​Board​ ​in December.

“It​ ​would​ ​be​ ​a​ ​shame​ ​to​ ​see​ ​it​ ​go,”​ ​Everman said.​ ​“It​ ​reminds​ ​me​ ​of​ ​the​ ​blossoming​ ​of Spokane​ ​as​ ​a​ ​city.”