Dr. David Greeley, a neurologist and owner of Northwest Neurological PLLC, is converting the pyramid-shaped, concrete office building on the west side of downtown Spokane into a comprehensive neurological center.

“We needed a center of excellence, and that’s what I’m trying to do,” says Greeley.

Tenant improvements worth about $1 million are mostly complete on the first floor of the 31,000-square-foot, three-story structure at 1520 W. Third, which has been renovated with Spokane-based Ramey Construction Co. as the contractor, he says.

Previously a large, open workspace, the first-floor neuro center now has about 30 private offices for examinations and treatment, an employee break room, a waiting room, reception, and storage for Northwest Neurological and Greeley’s three other companies.

Greeley says he’s seeking tenants for the 6,600-square-foot second floor to complement his vision for a comprehensive health center under one roof. Massage, physical, occupational, and speech therapists, chiropractors, and social workers are the types of tenants he’s hoping to attract.

“Whatever makes people feel good as an ancillary modality, it would be a good place to do it,” he says.

Greeley declines to disclose the name of the building’s third-floor tenant. He says that an unnamed rental company will move to the building after renovations are finished next month.

The 47-year-old building is the former headquarters of Spokane-based Global Credit Union. In 2016, the credit union purchased a five-story, 49,000-square-foot building on the next block south, where its main Spokane offices are now located at 1500 W. Fourth.

Northwest Neurological was formed in 1999 and provides treatment for depression, migraines, movement disorders, and memory loss through psychiatry, transcranial magnetic stimulation, therapeutic Botox, and other medications.

The practice moved from a smaller building at 26 E. Fifth to the pyramid building earlier this month. Half of the Third Avenue property’s first floor is dedicated to Greeley’s medical research company, Kingfisher Cooperative LLC.

“It was just too small,” Greeley says of the Fifth Avenue office. “Finally, I had this building come available and despite COVID and the homeless and permitting and everything else, we finally got it done.”

Bumblebee23 LLC, Greeley’s development company through which he purchased the property for $4.8 million in 2021, also is headquartered at site. Additionally, he says the nonprofit Spokane Neuro Foundation will hold classes, workshops, and events from the basement-level auditorium.

A total of 20 employees work at Greeley’s four companies, he says.

The second floor is vacant except for some office equipment left behind by Spokane-based software company Imprezzio Inc., which moved to the building after Global Credit Union left in 2016. Imprezzio vacated the building after transitioning to remote work during the pandemic.

The property sat vacant before permit approval for the building remodel was granted by the city of Spokane, Greeley says. In that time, the property was vandalized with about $200,000 worth of damage, including stolen heating and ventilation units.

“Because it sat empty, it was tough to even get the insurance company to pay for it because they don’t want to insure empty buildings,” he says. “I luckily got through it.”

In addition to property damage and permitting delays, Greeley says he’s also facing institutional challenges that may limit the expansion plans for the neurological center.

He says the neurological center needs more practitioners to meet demand in Eastern Washington, and Kingfisher needs more willing patients for clinical drug trials to advance treatments for early-stage Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.

One of the barriers he’s consistently challenged with is a declining number of neurologists that practice here.

“There’s been a downward spiral for 30 years,” he says. “It’s also happening to a lot of medical specialties. Neurology is a very complicated subspecialty that takes more time and doesn’t pay any better than others.”

The nonprofit foundation will work to increase public awareness of the neuro center and help address the financial burdens for some patients who can’t afford the newest medications, he says.

“It’s been tough to get people into the trials because people, including doctors, don’t know about us, but we’re one of the biggest research sites and we’re one of the biggest clinical sites in the country right here,” Greeley says.

Despite the setbacks, Greeley says he’s determined to bring his vision to life. Now that he has room to grow, he says he would consider selling the building to focus on being a doctor.

“I’d be happy to sell this place as fast as I can, because I don’t want to be a businessperson per say,” Greeley explains.

Greeley says the building came with office equipment, signage, and a climate-controlled server room in the basement that were left behind after Imprezzio’s departure.

In the future, the server room could become another revenue stream for his business by charging companies for secure cloud-based storage, he says. A new clinical trial to test QR codes on 3D-printed pills is expected to begin in the new year as well.

Overall, Greeley says the property provides an opportunity to create a comprehensive neurological center in Spokane that will increase regional access to care.

“I’ve been working on this for 30 years,” he says. “It’s finally come altogether in one building.”