Narrowly escaping a 1921 fire which levelled the rest of the block on which it stands, the hall was the seat of government of Opportunity Township for over 60 years, until the legislature repealed taxing authority of rural townships in 1969 and Spokane County voters dissolved local townships in 1974. Standing empty for several years, the building, then under the control of the Parks and Recreation Department, was leased as a framing shop and art gallery for a short time.
When ownership was transferred to the newly formed city of Spokane Valley they, in turn, turned it over to the Spokane Valley Legacy Foundation, a nonprofit organization, the intent being to use the building as a heritage museum. This came to pass in 2005, with the opening of the museum in that year.
The "now" and "then" photos were taken from across Sprague Avenue to the west, looking southeast. The "then" photo was taken about 1920, possibly a bit earlier.
Opportunity Township Hall
Opportunity Township Hall, a rectangular one-story building, is located in the newly formed city of Spokane Valley. The Township Hall, erected in 1912 (with a rear 1948 addition), stands on the earliest commercial block in the former township of Opportunity. Spokane architect C. Harvey Smith, a resident of Opportunity Township, designed the building in a Mission/Spanish Colonial Revival Style.
In 1921, a fire destroyed most of the wooden buildings on the block, including the Knight buildings, and gutted the IOOF Hall. Opportunity Township Hall, located west of the commercial brick buildings, escaped the fire of 1921. The IOOF Hall was repaired after the fire. The Knight buildings were rebuilt with brick. Thus, in the 1920s the block held a continuous strip of adjacent commercial brick buildings consisting (from east to west) of Opportunity State Bank, the IOOF Hall, and the Knight buildings.
The hall served as a public building for the enactment and administration of laws, rules, and regulations. The hall also served as a community center. The hall's design and structure represents an early example of the Mission/Spanish Colonial Revival Style, a rare though not unknown architectural style in the Inland Northwest.
Only two counties in Washington state, Spokane and Whatcom, adopted township organization. Spokane County citizens first voted on township organization in the general election of November 1906. A majority of electors who voted on the issue favored organization, but only 39 percent of those who voted cast their votes on the issue. Since the state constitution required a favorable vote from the majority of total electors, Spokane County failed to adopt the organization of townships in 1906. In the November 1908 general election, a majority of Spokane County electors voted to adopt township organization. After the election, the Spokane County Commissioners divided the county into forty-six townships, including Opportunity Township No. 34.
Opportunity Township Hall served many functions, not only as the seat of Opportunity's township government but also as a rental hall for community activities that included, among other things, library services, church services, weddings, civic organization meetings, rummage sales, bingo games, and movies.
By 1971, the end of Opportunity Township was a foregone conclusion, but it continued to function for another three years... Spokane County officially took over the title of Opportunity Township Hall on November 13, 1990. Six years later, the county commissioners turned control of the building over to the county Parks and Recreation Department. The building remained vacant for several years afterward as the county commissioners considered several proposals for leasing the building and entertained the thought of selling it. The county finally found a tenant in 2000 who briefly leased the Township Hall as a framing shop and art gallery.
On September 2, 2003, Spokane County transferred ownership of Opportunity Township Hall to the newly formed city of Spokane Valley. A year later, on March 10, 2004, the city of Spokane Valley turned over the property's deed to the Spokane Valley Legacy Foundation, a nonprofit organization, for the purpose of using the building as a heritage museum. The Township Hall is currently undergoing repairs on the outside and renovations on the inside to open the building as a museum.
From the NRHP Nomination Form