The North Side lodge of what once was the largest Fraternal Order of Eagles chapter in the country has been sold, a consequence of declining membership nationally in such organizations.


Spokane real estate investor Terry Tombari says he and his wife, T.J., have bought the longtime Eagles lodge property at 315 E. Francis, but havent settled yet on any redevelopment plans.


It was an attractive piece to pick up, he says.


The couple completed the purchase of the property, from the Eagles Aerie #2, in December, Tombari says. Aerie, which means eagles nest, is the term the national organization uses for its local chapters. The Tombaris acquisition included the approximately 45,000-square-foot lodge building and about three acres of land, all between Lidgerwood and Addison streets on the north side of Francis Avenue, he says. He declines to say how much they paid for the property. However, Spokane County excise-tax documents showed the purchase price to be about $993,000.


The transaction didnt include the adjacent Eagles Ice-A-Rena, at 6321 N. Addison. However, Ed MacDonald, the aeries board chairman, says the organization also is in the process of selling that two-building complex, to Tim Iverson, its longtime manager, although that transaction hasnt been completed yet.


The aerie plans to use the proceeds from the two sales to construct a new 12,000-square-foot, single-story lodge on undeveloped land it still owns just north of its current lodge, MacDonald says. It has set a $1 million cap on the cost of that project, and had hoped to have the new lodge completed by mid-June, but some regulatory obstacles now are expected to delay that opening, he says.


It will have everything we have now, except on a smaller scale, MacDonald says. That includes a kitchen and dining room and a multipurpose room that will be used for dancing, bingo, and other social activities, he says. One thing it wont have, though, that the current lodge operated up until a couple of years ago, is athletic facilities, which were deemed too expensive to insure and operate, he says.


Terry Tombari is CEO and majority owner of Tombari Properties LLC, a Spokane company started by his parents 50 years ago that has real estate holdings throughout the Inland Northwest.


He says the Eagles property would be well-suited for retail, restaurant, and possibly office use.


The aeries current lodge was built in 1962, and, its been added onto eight or nine times, MacDonald says. The aerie grew to include about 10,000 members and 4,000 to 5,000 auxiliary members, making it the largest chapter in the nation, but those numbers have fallen as older members have died and younger potential members have opted to pursue other types of activities, he says. He estimates it now has about 2,000 members and 500 to 600 auxiliary members.


Larry Peterson, a longtime aerie member and former Century 21 real estate agent who helped negotiate the sale of the lodge, says, Its run-down. Its too expensive to upkeep that thing, given the sharply reduced number of members supporting it financially. He says, Were not using very much of that building at all, and the expense of operation is just prohibitive.


Over the years, along with providing a nonprofit, membership-based socializing and physical-fitness venue, Aerie #2 has donated to a range of charities and social programs.