It isn't hyperbole to say Spokane wouldn't be the city it is today if not for the Herculean lift by past Spokane leaders to land—and pull off—the World's Fair in 1974. 

Fifty years later, it's a good time to pause and reflect on the benefits of the formative event and ponder what such an effort might reap for Spokane today. 

Leading up to the 1974 Expo World’s Fair, a group of Spokane business leaders united and formed Spokane Unlimited, an organization focused on the goal of revitalizing the downtown core, in part, by removing train tracks and old parking lots and creating a central city park with the river running through it.

Thanks to the selection of Spokane as the host city of the World’s Fair, state and federal funding flowed into Spokane, allowing for redevelopment of the downtown area, including the creation of Riverfront Park and construction of the Convention Center and Opera House. The event attracted roughly 5.2 million people to the Lilac City at a time when the metropolitan area's population was less than half what it is today. 

It might be difficult for younger generations to envision the significance of a world's fair. While they're still held, they don't capture the imagination like they once did. The world's largest cities used to compete to host the international fair, and Spokane still holds the distinction as the smallest city to host such an event. 

As we reference elsewhere in this issue, some of Spokane's largest and longest-tenured architecture firms landed big projects for Expo credited with propelling them forward. And the influence just begins there. 

Tim Welsh, currently CEO of Garco Construction Inc., had a hand in constructing the U.S. Pavilion. Decades later, the contracting company he helped to form a few years after the World's Fair would renovate the reimagined structure and help it remain one of the most enduring symbols of Expo. 

Not coincidentally, River Park Square, Spokane's landmark downtown mall, opened the year of the World's Fair, setting the tone for the retail landscape in the city's core. Renovated in the late 1990s, that retail center remains a vibrant part of the city's core. 

In the afterglow of Expo, Spokane's two tallest office towers rose. Now known as the Bank of America Financial Center, at 601 W. Riverside, and the Washington Trust Tower, at 601 W. First, the two structures endure as prominent components in the city's skyline. 

Looking back on all of the long-lasting influences of that mighty effort so many years ago, the community has a number of reasons to celebrate the anniversary of this seminal event, one that's remembered fondly by those who were there and one that captures the imagination of those who missed it. 

Present-day leaders should be asking themselves, what would a Spokane Unlimited-like effort look like today? Would it be as bold? What will be the next World's Fair-like influence we can have on our community? They're good questions to ponder in the coming weeks and months. 

But for now, let's appreciate the anniversary of Expo and the benefits it has reaped for our region for decades now.