Community Building

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About Community Building Project The Community Building enterprise was initiated in 2001 when founder Jim Sheehan purchased a three-story building on the south side of Main Avenue on the edge of Spokane's central business district. Sheehan, a lawyer and public defender, had created Spokane's Center for Justice in 1999. After renovating the building at Browne and Main ( it had previously housed a brewery, and before that a dry goods warehouse and textile plant ) he moved the growing non-profit law firm into the new Community Building to be the anchor tenant. From its inception, however, the Community Building's signature purpose has been to provide a centrally-located and inspiring environment in which to do the creative work of building community. It continues to host a childcare center in addition to a growing number of non-profit organizations, a farmer's market, and a fair trade store, Kizuri. A major expansion took place in 2007 when the adjoining building ( the former Saranac Hotel ) was re-opened to host not only several more non-profit, Native American and governmental offices, but also a new restaurant, movie theater, and art gallery the Saranac Art Project. In early 2010, the Main Market Co-op was added on the north side of Main Avenue, where a tire store and auto repair shop used to be. The result is not only a transformed downtown neighborhood, but a thriving hive of synergy that empowers individuals, neighborhoods, and those working to protect and restore the region's natural resources, including the Spokane River. The Community Building's mission is to host, inspire and be a catalyst for social change in Spokane and throughout our region. As a commercial venture, the Community Building offers affordable and inviting office, program, and retail space in an aesthetically uplifting and resource-efficient environment, built to green L.E.E.D. standards. We provide an accessible and diverse experience for downtown tenants and visitors. As a social endeavor, the Community Building nurtures a connected community of collaboration. We support a common commitment to human rights and social justice. Likewise, we foster work that inspires ecological awareness and the motivation to honor and protect the natural environment. Ultimately, we wish to model a culture of organizations and individuals working in concert for the benefit of the community at large.