A developer that infused life into the Wonder Building on Spokane’s North Bank now appears to be considering development of an indoor sports facility in that neighborhood, according to a pre-development application filed with the city. 

Denver attorney Peter Mounsey, who leads the group that owns the Wonder Building at 835 N. Post, has purchased a property across Lincoln Street, the formerly occupied site of the Spokane Valley-based S&J Engines, Inc., at 815 N. Lincoln. Spokane County Assessors records indicate the 1/3-acre property was purchased for $1.8 million on June 5, 2022. 

Mounsey couldn’t be reached immediately for comment for this story.

Early plans call for the construction of a 12,800-square-foot indoor facility dubbed “Wonderground,” on the southwest corner of Lincoln and Mallon Avenue, with an estimated value of $1.5 million, according to a pre-development application filed with the city. 

Initial plans indicate David Wilde with Wolfe Architecture Group PS of Spokane is designing the development. A contractor isn’t listed on the pre-development application, but a structural condition assessment carried out by Spokane-based GLR Engineers PLLC lists Cory Yost, of Spokane-based Yost Gallagher Construction LLC, in attendance at a site visit there. Also in attendance was Doug Flewelling, of Coeur d’Alene-based planning and construction company Verdis.

Preliminary plans for the Wonderground facility feature building a single-story structure that will accommodate six pickleball courts, a space for golf simulators, a café/bar space facing Mallon Avenue, and a patio on the northeast corner of the lot, fronting Lincoln and Mallon.

A demolition permit to tear down the existing 17,100-square-foot building was issued to Rob’s Demolition Inc., of Spokane, on Oct. 5, records show.

The Wonder Building, originally built in 1909, is the former site of a Wonder Bread Bakery building. The historic four-story structure was renovated in 2019 and has about 100,000 square feet of office space in addition to a food market. Yost Gallagher Construction was the contractor on that project, and Wolfe Architectural Group designed it.

As earlier reported by the Journal, since the construction of the Spokane Public Schools-owned One Spokane Stadium began in March of 2021, an estimated $36 million in commercial real estate, including the Wonderground site, has changed hands in Spokane’s North Bank neighborhood.

Completed last month, the 5,000-seat stadium is located on the southeast corner of Boone Avenue and Howard Street. Garco Construction Inc., and Halme Construction Inc., both of Spokane, were the contractors on the project. Spokane-based ALSC Architects PS designed it.

One Spokane, a high school sports and events venue, also will be the home field for United Soccer League Spokane’s three soccer teams, which will hold between 35 and 40 soccer matches a year. The men’s team, dubbed the Spokane Velocity, is set to have its first match next spring. According to an economic impact study, One Spokane is projected to generate about $11.4 million annually in direct and indirect spending.

Another $19 million in new developments and remodels has been permitted nearby, including the renovation of the Papillon Building, just two blocks southwest of the stadium at 908 N. Howard, and west of $53 million Podium Powered by STCU, which opened in late 2021 at 511 W. Dean.