Contact us by e-mail for more details on NBC projects.

City of Spokane's
Neighborhood Business Centers

Contact Information:

Teri Stripes
509-625-6597 or 625-6983

Discover Hillyard

Greater Hillyard Business Association (GHBA)

General Meeting the 2^nd Wednesday of the month

John Bogensberger, Signs for Success, (509) 489-4200, john@signsfs.com  
or Jim Solomon, United Hillyard Mall, (509) 951-0900, Solomon.Jim@gmail.com

Information available on this page

Mayor Mary Verner's Upcoming Your City Visits and Filming

Mayor Hession's "Your City" Program Featuring Hillyard

Market & Haven Street 2003-2004 Average Weekday Traffic Counts

Just Some of the Market Street Antique Stores

Market Street Businesses

Market Center Demographic and Market Reports

Hillyard Market Street Historic District Nomination

Neighborhood Assessment Report

Neighborhood Business Centers (NBC) Purchasing Patterns Report

Hillyard Studies

Hillyard History & Current Work

• Mayor Verner's "Your City" Hillyard/Market St District Visit and Filming 

• Perry, SPBNA Center, June 5, 2008, 10am-1pm

• Garland, GBD Center, June 11, 2008, 10am-1pm

• Monroe, NMBD Corridor, August 13, 2008, 10am-1pm

• Sprague, ESBA (Corridor & Industrial area), October 8, 2008, 10am-1pm

• Location TBD, December 10, 2008, 10am-1pm

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Click Here to view Mayor Verner's "Your City" Program Featuring Hillyard 
in Windows Media Player

Left to Right Carey Harbision, Owner, Hot Rod Tattoo & Stellar Cellar Antiques, 3117 Olympic Ave.

John Bogensberger, Owner, Signs for Success, 6824 N. Market St and Greater Hillyard Business Association Chair

Anne Marie Lewis, Owner, the new Annie's Antique Chic Café, 5019 N. Market St

City of Spokane Mayor Mary Verner

In February 2008 this group participated in the Channel 5 filming of the Mayor's “Your City” program in Hillyard's Hot Rod Tattoo.

This program speaks to what's great about living, working and playing in the Hillyard neighborhood and the Market St. business district.

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Market & Haven Street 2003-2004 Average Weekday Traffic Counts *Counts obtained from WA State Department of Transportation

Market - Euclid to Garland  27,300 avg. weekday traffic counts
Market & Haven Couplets - Garland to Wellesley 15,000 Market and 15,000 Haven avg. weekday traffic counts
Market & Haven Couplets - Wellesley to Columbia 11,800 Market and 12,800 Haven avg. weekday traffic counts
Market - Columbia to Francis 21,200 avg. weekday traffic counts

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Just Some of the Market Street Antique Stores

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Market Center Demographic and Market Reports

Market Trade Area Map

Market Executive Summary

Market Retail Market Power, Opportunity Gap - Retail Stores

Market Pop-Facts Census Demographic Overview Report

Hillyard Market Street Historic District Nomination local district nomination. It includes the nomination, some historic photographs, lots of history, individual information on properties with recent photographs, every signed management agreement, design guidelines, and a map. National Historic District nomination information.

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Neighborhood Assessment Report by City of Spokane Planning Hillyard Neighborhood Report 

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Neighborhood Business Centers (NBC) Purchasing Patterns Report Results and Recommendations: A first step opportunity for gap analysis for Neighborhood Business Districts

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The Greater Hillyard Business Association (GHBA) is the most active business association that NBC works with. This group accomplishes in a week what it takes the other associations months or even years to accomplish. The GHBA’s board structure is modeled after the National Trust’s Main Street program. With the guidance and assistance of NBC, they have committees working on all four-points of economic revitalization (Design, Organization, Promotion and Economic Restructuring). The GHBA is likely to be our first district to meet all the Main Street criteria. The GHBA is a non-profit 501(C)6 business association, who provides the overarching non-profit status and insurance for a multitude of other civic organizations, in this capacity the GHBA assists in the production of at least 5 neighborhoods events.

The Spokane and National Hillyard Historic Business District is our largest and historic district outside of the downtown central business district and it is likely to remain our only one outside of downtown for a long time. Currently, it is the only neighborhood business center with enough contiguous buildings to qualify as a historic district.

In 2004, The coordinated efforts of the Neighborhood Business Centers, Historic Preservation Office, Planning, Community Development and Economic Development departments resulted in the completion of the façade improvement program in Hillyard’s National Historic District. The goal was to improve the business district’s visual appearance. A $15,000 façade improvement grant from the Washington State Department of Archeology and Historic Preservation and a $5,000 grant from the Spokane Preservation Advocates made the program possible. The total value of the project was estimated at $28,758 (adding in the owner and volunteer labor the total project value was estimated at $43,758.) Many of the property owners and adjacent property owners are still making additional improvements. Therefore, the value of the project still continues to grow. The matched improvement grant not only revitalized Hillyard’s business district but also promotes Spokane as a whole; bringing prosperity and civic concern for the area and highlighting another destination within our great City. The Hillyard District has gone on to create the Hillyard Historic Walking Tour and will soon be creating a audio of the tour that can be downloaded from their Historic Hillyard web site for tourists to download to their I pods or Mp3 players and listen to as the walk the district.

NBC has multiple projects that it is currently working with the GHBA and the Hillyard neighborhood to implement. In 2009, Market Street will be under construction with a Bond project and the Queen Street streetscape will be undergoing sidewalk improvements as well as trees, irrigation, pedestrian lighting etc. In November 2007, we will find out if the project has qualified for a $1.9 million Transportation Improvement Broad grant and if so then the 2009 construction will also include a new streetscape for 12 blocks on Market from Heroy to Columbia, with 3 enhanced concrete crossings, trees, pedestrian lighting etc. NBC has applied for funding for another Façade Improvement Program for this district and 5 others and the GHBA is also applying for funding from the Spokane Preservation Advocates for additional Façade Improvement funding.

In 2008, NBC will be working very closely with the GHBA to help prepare them for becoming a Main Street program this will also help NBC accomplish its goal of becoming a National Citywide Main Street program. One of the hurdles left for the GHBA in becoming a Main Street revitalization program is the hiring of full-time staff to work in the district implementing their design, organization, promotion and economic restructuring programs. We will also be preparing the businesses for surviving street construction – surviving the major street construction will not be easy for the businesses but we and the GHBA will be working with everyone to minimize the negative impacts.

At the recent Town Hall meeting, many surrounding neighborhoods mentioned the leadership guidance of the GHBA and the Hillyard neighborhood in helping them succeed and grow.

The GHBA is currently working with EWU, WSU, Whitworth, WA DOT, Spokane County, Community Development, Neighborhood Services and Neighborhood Business Center all for the economic revitalization of their neighborhood. 

The GHBA put together one of the economic and community development proposals for the reuse of the Mann Hall Center.

Last month, two WA State Community Trade and Economic Development (CTED) representatives came to visit with the Greater Hillyard Business Association (GHBA) and the following was some of the historic information that the GHBA presented during their visit.

Branding Hillyard & The Great Northwest

1. Introduction
   1. In mid- 1880’s the land on which Hillyard was platted was called Wild Horse Prairie by Indian tribes who inhabited the area. 
   2. Founder James Jerome Hill, upon completion of transcontinental rail line, called it East Spokane. Name was change in 1892 to present name “Hillyard”.
   3. Hillyard a Town within a City

                                                               i.      History

                                                             ii.      Historic Business District            

2.  History: Hillyard a Town within a City
   1. The community is characterized by mixed-use development and domestic architecture built during the last ten decades. A mixture of both historic and non-historic houses, apartments, schools, churches, community centers, park’s, playgrounds, and commercial buildings.

                                                               i.      Hillyard’s first real industry:
The Lovejoy Sawmill, located in Biglow Gulch.

                                                             ii.      Hillyard’s Rail Yards:
1927: The largest locomotive steam engine in the world for that time-the “Mallet” rolled out of Hillyard construction shop weighing over one million pounds and was designed to haul the country’s heaviest loads, over the Cascade and Rocky Mountains.  The Great Northern shops continued to build the world’s heaviest and most powerful engines for the next 20 years.

                                                            iii.      Great Northern Railroad Merger :
Hillyard continued to prosper during the merger of Great Northern, Northern Pacific and the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy railroads in 1970. Burlington Northern closed engine, overhaul, and repair facilities in 1982 after more than 90 years of operation.

                                                           iv.      Commercial Development and Incorporation:
In 1907 Hillyard incorporated, boundaries were increased to Crestline Street on the west, and north and south to Francis and Rich Avenues and Havana Street to the east. Dr. Joseph Farrow was elected the first mayor.
From 1892 to 1924, Hillyard enjoyed independence from Spokane.

3. Historic Business District & Growth Potential:
   1. Today, Hillyard is working towards economic revitalization.

                                                               i.      Physically distinct from its surrounding built environment, historic buildings in Hillyard’s Historic Business district are associated with the town’s boom years.  Hillyard is perceived as a distinct community and continues to be remembered by many as a “railroad town.”
These buildings represent the strongest concentration of early 20^th century commercial historic buildings.

                                                             ii.      Community Organization’s are working together towards making Hillyard a destination location.  We are working with the City of Spokane’s Neighborhood Business Center (NBC) on Streetscape Grants, Façade Improvement Grants, and Inventory of Business’s occupied & vacant for recruitment of new business’s.

4. Conclusion
   1. History:
      Working together for Economic Redevelopment while maintaining our history.
   2. Character and Personality:
      Hillyard has developed with Can Do Attitude and Our Community is working together with One Voice 
   3. Historic Business District & Growth Potential:
      Hillyard has growth potential to the east of Market Street in our Industrial Business District, Although in need of paved streets and sidewalks, growth in this area has increased during the past few years.
      Industry growth is booming where we have paved streets. Future growth and tax revenue for the City of Spokane depends on providing Utilities and Complete Streets. \

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Last changed: 04/22/08