McKinstry Co., a Seattle-based mechanical and energy-efficiency contractor, says it has submitted building permit applications to begin its planned $10 million renovation of the Great Northern Building, at 802 E. Spokane Blvd., where it plans to consolidate its Spokane operations.

The first building permit will be for immediate weatherization and structural improvements, followed by permits for interior upgrades and to change the use of the 103-year-old building, which had been used as a warehouse and trucking distribution center since the 1950s, says Kim Pearman-Gillman, a spokeswoman for McKinstry here.

The initial work will include repairing concrete, replacing trusses, and installing new roofing to secure the building, which is on the north bank of the Spokane River, just west of Hamilton Street.

"The first permit is to button up the building, so we can go through the winter without damage," Pearman-Gillman says.

McKinstry also is in the early stages of the permitting process with its plans to install new electrical and mechanical systems, and it's seeking a change-of-use permit to convert warehouse space into office space, she says.

In addition to installing high-efficiency mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire-protection systems, the company plans to restore the building's large window openings, skylights, and architectural metal features to preserve and enhance the original structure.

Spokane-based Lydig Construction Co. is the contractor on the overall project.

McKinstry is handling the design of mechanical and electrical systems, and is working with Design Source Inc., of Spokane, on interior designs, Pearman-Gillman says.

Billings, Mont.-based CTA Architects Engineers is designing exterior improvements and the landscaping portion of the project, she says. The Spokane office of Bellevue-based DCI Engineers Inc. is the structural and civil engineer on the project.

McKinstry plans to move into the 52,000-square-foot building and consolidate its Spokane operations there in about a year, Pearman-Gillman says. The company currently occupies a combined 18,000 square feet of leased space in two locations. Its business office is at 9 S. Washington downtown, and its shop is at 4023 E. Central, in Hillyard.

McKinstry currently employs about 100 people at its Spokane operations, and Pearman-Gillman says the company expects to double its work force here in the next four years.

The company also plans to lease out some of the space in the Great Northern Building as part of McKinstry's long-range goal to build a green-technology campus at the east edge of Spokane's University District.

The Great Northern Building was erected in 1907 as a maintenance, repair, and fabrication facility for the Spokane & Inland Empire Railroad Co. electric railroad system.

Great Northern Railway Co. acquired the property in 1929 and operated it as a diesel locomotive and railroad equipment maintenance facility until the 1950s. Following a railroad merger, the property was owned by BNSF Railway Co. until McKinstry bought it earlier this year.

McKinstry also bought the land and buildings just to the north of the Great Northern Building, where the Habitat Store, which is operated by the nonprofit Habitat for Humanity, occupies 30,000 square feet of retail space.