Demolition permits filed for Joe Albi Stadium

SPOKANE, Wash. – Joe Albi Stadium’s days are limited. 

Permits to demolish the decades-old stadium have been formally filed with the City of Spokane. 

Joe Albi, which seats nearly 30,000 people, opened in 1950 and has served as a venue for everything from sports to concerts. 

The Washington State University Cougars played at the stadium, as did the Spokane Shock. Metallica and Sammy Hagar played at the stadium during the 1988’s “Monsters of Rock” and even Elvis made a visit. 

More often than not, though, Joe Albi served as a high school sports venue for schools across the Spokane area. 

PHOTOS: Spokane Public Schools breaks ground for new downtown stadium

In 2017, Spokane Public Schools announced plans for a new, smaller stadium. The district proposed building a new stadium closer to downtown, but voters advised they wanted to build a new stadium at the current Joe Albi site. However, that vote was not binding. 

In 2021, the Spokane School Board instead moved to partner with the Downtown Spokane Partnership and Spokane Public Facilities District to bring a stadium downtown. 

Work is already underway on that new stadium, which will be the home for all SPS games, as well as a new United Soccer League team. 

A spokeswoman for SPS said abatement of the Joe Albi facility started this month and will continue through most of February. Building and site demolition will begin after that. 

This entire demolition process is planned to be completed by mid-summer. 

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