Spokane City Hall getting new roof for $1.5 million

Replacing a half-acre of roof is expensive.

After years of leaks, Spokane City Hall is getting a new roof for $1.5 million. Krueger Sheet Metal will begin construction on the 20,000-square-foot surface this spring.

Dave Steele, a project coordinator and real estate manager with Spokane’s facilities department, told the City Council on Monday that the current roof is poorly insulated, contains asbestos and doesn’t do a great job of keeping out water.

“It leaks a lot,” Steele said.

In an email, Steele said City Hall’s current roof is 22 to 25 years old and springing new leaks every season.

Those leaks have driven up maintenance costs and caused water damage to insulation and ceilings.

The new roof will address drainage issues and improve insulation. It will come with a 20-year warranty.

City Hall was built in 1929 and operated as a Montgomery Ward department store until 1978, when the company moved to a location on Division Street. The city bought and renovated the former store and opened it as City Hall in 1981.

According to spokanehistorical.org, the Montgomery Ward building was only the second in Spokane to be built in the art deco style, after the City Ramp Garage, built in 1928. It has been on the Spokane Register of Historic Places since 1986.