SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash – The dream to build a performing arts center in Spokane Valley appears to be over.
Executive Artistic Director Yvonne A.K. Johnson shared the news in an email to supporters Friday, saying “Our time together building a regional performing arts center legacy in Spokane Valley has unfortunately come to an end.”
“Timelines and contracts have come due and there is a lack of financing available to keep the dream alive,” Johnson wrote.
Plans for the 59,000 square foot regional center began 10 years ago. In 2022, construction on the facility began on East Mansfield, but halted when funds didn’t come through.
Right now, a large concrete wall is all that sits on the site. The center has only raised 19 percent of the $48 million needed to complete it.
The center had one last shot at funding last month, but the Spokane Valley City Council rejected a request for a $28 million bond.
“Without a permanent home, our work must end – as renting is no longer sustainable,” Johnson wrote. “We had so many things going for us, but monumental factors working against us. Ultimately, in this day and time, we were not able to overcome these obstacles despite tremendous effort.”
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