Hidden Spokane: Exploring an underground maze

A maze of passageways sit hidden under the sidewalks and businesses of Downtown Spokane. Many people have heard of the tunnels, but few have had the opportunity to venture under the sidewalks.

So KREM 2 News set out to find traces of the systems that once connected businesses that have long since closed.

Underground 15 opened on the corner of First and Howard in 2014. The bar sits in the same spot once occupied by the Blue Spark. But it is what can be found in their basement that qualifies it as a Hidden Spokane attraction. In the basement, are artifacts dating back to as early as 1890.

Zachary Wirchak, the owner of Underground 15, said visitors are amazed.

"Every once in a while I'll take a friend and show them around, and they're just blown away," Wirchak said.

"It's almost like an underground city."

Corroded pipes, gears, chains. There is a mismatching of eras here at Underground 15.

"When I see all the gears, I'm thinking 1900s or so," Wirchak said.

"It's also a type of futuristic feel too."

When Wirchak moved in, he was shocked by the amount of underground space. Much of the space is used for storage and shared with a number of other connecting businesses.

Wirchak said he never expected to find a labyrinth beneath his business.

"Well over 100 years old, that's all I know," he said. "That's all I want to know! Too creepy for me."

KREM 2 News toured the tunnel and found a maze of corridors just beyond the stairs. However, the space below the First and Howard is far from modern.

Within the tunnel there are metal doors with no function, a stairways leading to nowhere, and elevators side by side from opposing eras. The underground city even houses a boiler room which pre-dates everything.

"The old boiler room is an old style," Wirchak said. "Some of the stuff you can find down there is dated back to 1890."

The original building on First and Howard was constructed in 1890, just one year after the great fire leveled much of Downtown. The building was eventually demolished in 1917. Yet remnants of the historic building can be found in the underground tunnel.

"It's really interesting," Wirchak said.

Coming up on Friday, KREM 2 News wanders further underground in search of larger tunnels and basements of yesteryear. Tune in for more on the underground speakeasies used during the prohibition era and learn why the tunnel system that is left might be going away soon.