Avista Corp. subsidiary Avista Development has bought the Seehorn-Lang building, located on the west side of the Steam Plant Square complex that Avista owns in downtown Spokane.

Avista Development declines to disclose how much it paid for the two-story, 12,000-square-foot structure, located at 151 S. Lincoln, but Spokane County Assessor’s Office records show that the company acquired the building for $1.3 million. 

Latisha Hill, senior vice president for Avista Development, says of the purchase, “It made a lot of sense, because there continue to be many exciting developments occurring in that area of downtown. We have some wonderful retail tenants there at Steam Plant Square and are evaluating other opportunities as we move forward.”

So far, Avista doesn’t have any plans beyond possible small updates, Hill says. 

“Since Avista bought the Seehorn building in November, we’ve mostly focused on maintenance and a capital assessment of both buildings,” she says. “However, these buildings are very old, so you might notice some small enhancements made to them over the next year.”

Hill says the Seehorn-Lang building is currently at capacity with five tenants, and the 30,000-square-foot, three-story Steam Plant building, at 823 W. Railroad Alley, is nearly full as well, with eight tenants and only one suite available. 

“These buildings are kind of like siblings in a way,” says Hill. “While we don’t have any specific plans yet, I think overall, our goal is to celebrate their connection, while continuing to expand the experience for guests and tenants.”

The Seehorn-Lang building has for many years functioned as a part of the Steam Plant Square complex, which is named for the Steam Plant building, where Avista (formerly Washington Water Power Co.) produced electricity from about 1919 until 1986, and later converted much of the space for commercial use. 

Avista Development and its predecessors have owned the Steam Plant building since 1919, but until last November had only been leasing the neighboring Seehorn-Lang from DCJ Investments LLC. 

Avista officials say a 6,500-square-foot connecting space between the two buildings was built by Wells & Co. in 1999 during a renovation of the Steam Plant building.

The connection space between the two buildings includes restrooms, janitorial closets, and two office suites on its second level, and also serves as a parking area for both buildings at the ground level.

Deborah Lang-Westwood, principal of DCJ Investments, says she decided to sell the Seehorn-Lang building to Avista and use the sale’s proceeds to purchase a multitenant retail building at 327 W. Third. 

Lang-Westwood has plans to remodel the building, formerly called the DeCaro Center, which is located at the corner of Third and Washington, directly across from Arby’s restaurant. 

Lang-Westwood says her decision to sell the Seehorn-Lang was difficult because the building has been owned by her family for almost 100 years, starting with her great-grandfather John Lang who purchased it in 1922. 

“Ultimately, it was a better fit for them (Avista) to have ownership of this important piece of the Steam Plant Square,” she says. “The sale allowed us the opportunity to venture forward into expanding the legacy of my great-grandfather, John Lang, the ‘Lang’ who will be permanently associated with the building and thus Spokane’s early history.”  

Lang-Westwood says her great-grandfather came to the U.S. from Germany in 1882, making his way to Spokane by 1889. Once here, he invested in mining, real estate, and numerous other business ventures, including the founding of Inland Brewing & Malting Co., a Spokane brewery that closed in 1915. 

Lang-Westwood says her great-grandfather’s accomplishments serve as a motivating force in her company’s efforts to renovate the property she purchased at West Third. 

“It is our hope that the exciting renovation of this new acquisition downtown will result in an enduring and positive contribution to both our family legacy and to the downtown Spokane community,” she says.