Rustic elegance, free spirit, nature, welcoming, warm, progressive, interconnected and native are just a sampling of the keywords Idaho’s Coeur d’Alene Tribe gave to architectural firm Mithun to describe their vision of the resort that was going into its seventh expansion project.
Lynn McBride, senior associate at Mithun and project manager for this expansion, says working with this tribe was especially enjoyable because of their clear vision, ambitious goals and great taste. The property “has enabled them to grow and develop economically over the past 18 years, to the point of becoming the largest employer in Idaho,” she said. “Their resort is a place of true beauty and true connection to their land.”
No doubt, McBride’s words ring true for the tribe itself. In a press release, Coeur d’Alene Tribal Chairman Chief Allan said: “When we announced we were going to undertake a $75 million expansion, many thought we were crazy. The tribe didn’t sit back and wait to be victimized by the economy. The tribe took control of its own destiny.”
This passion and commitment is likely why the property has seen so many expansions, continuously striving to provide the best for its tribal members and visitors. The property first opened as Coeur d’Alene Bingo in March 1993. Two years later, it added 300 more gaming machines, going beyond just being a bingo hall. Then in 2000, a major expansion added a conference center, gift shop, events center and hotel. Three years after that, Circling Raven Golf Club debuted and has been ranked among the 100 best public golf courses in the United States by Golf Magazine and Golf Digest. The most recent expansion created 98 new hotel rooms, a 15,000-square foot spa, a “skycatcher” space that serves as a lobby, new restaurants and a hotel bar, in addition to creating more than 200 new jobs and bringing the total tribal employment to more than 2,000, making the tribe North Idaho’s largest employer.
Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort is in Idaho’s panhandle, and is only about 45 minutes from Spokane, Wash. McBride describes the property’s expansion as being heavily influenced by the surrounding landscape of the rolling Palouse hills and adjacent wetland forest. “While the resort is located in a quiet, secluded setting … it is an easy getaway and a true destination resort,” she said. “The site and buildings were designed to create a seamless connection between indoors and outdoors. Natural light and large window openings were purposefully integrated into the design to create this link.”
The connection to nature was a theme carried out in many other areas of the resort. In the hotel, McBride said the inspiration was to connect people to the surrounding beauty of the landscape and outdoor environment. An “ecotone” line runs through the site and is the point where the two different landscapes—the rolling Palouse hills and the forested wetland—merge.
Another contributing theme was to incorporate many cultural references. In fact, one of those is what McBride considers the most unique design element in the entire property. The Eagle Staff Tower, a landmark for the property, is a 101-foot tall tower clad in Corten steel that helps to both ground the scale of the surrounding landscape and serve as an icon to denote the new point of entry. The tower’s inspiration comes from the traditional eagle staff, the tribe’s flag. The tower has “flutter” elements that are softly lit with white light. Slots in the tower glow from within and can be different colors, with a sequence providing a graduation of colors for each palette from the base to the top.
Showcasing both modern and traditional tribal culture, custom display cases in the Skycatcher and hotel reception area show off artifacts, artwork and cultural expressions of the Coeur d’Alene people. The displays change periodically to convey the dynamic nature of the contemporary culture.
Beadwork murals are displayed in the elevator vestibules. It’s an ongoing collaborative project, celebrating the themes of each floor of the new hotel: prairie, mountains, water and the popular tribal wagering activities of Stickgame, Welukws and horse racing.
In the hotel rooms, a customized Pendleton blanket was specifically designed to commemorate this resort expansion and to celebrate the same themes that are explored throughout the design of the resort.
The Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort features many new construction technologies and environmentally responsible practices. The existing building is adjacent to a wetland, and the new landscape will provide large areas of native plants, restoring native habitat in several ways. Virtually all new plantings on the project will be indigenous to the area. And to reduce the “heat island effect,” light colored roofs were specified so that solar energy is reflected and not absorbed into the building. Specified water fixtures reduce water use by 20 percent compared to typical construction, and the project will use 17.5 percent less energy than typical new buildings. Regional and recycled materials will be used, and the project is targeting a LEED Silver rating.
Additionally, there were many site improvements for this project that covers almost 64 acres, including a realignment and redefinition of an existing highway that was decommissioned by the state of Idaho. “This roadway was relocated and the design team was able to transform the resort from a stop ‘by the side of the road’ to a true endpoint destination,” McBride said. Other site improvements include a new wetland meadow, an outdoor amphitheater and fire pit, a small ice skating rink, a wetland meadow, a large dance circle for the tribe’s annual powwow, new densely planted parking lots, wetland restoration and expansion, and infrastructural upgrades including a new MBR (membrane bioreactor) wastewater treatment plant.
McBride’s hope upon completing this project is simply for the tribe to experience tremendous success. “Working with the Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort Hotel has been a privilege, and I can only wish them continued success for their future,” she stated.
And we do, too. But don’t think this is the end of the story for the Coeur d’Alenes. An additional 100-room hotel, events/concert venue, food court and conference center were master planned on the site and may be constructed in the future.
KEY PLAYERS
Owner: Coeur d’Alene Tribe
Architect: Mithun Inc.
Interior Designer: Mithun Inc.
Landscape Architect: Mithun Inc.
Contractor: Hartanov Fuller Leone and Keeble (HFLK), a joint venture
Structural and Civil Engineer: KPFF
Mechanical Engineer: PAE
Electrical Engineer: Cross Engineers
Lighting Design: Dark Light
Spa Consultant: Natural Resources Consulting
Spa/Fountain Mechanical: STO
Kitchen Design: JLR
Acoustical Design: Sparling
Environmental Graphics: RMB Vivid
Irrigation Consultant: William Brown Landscape Architects
FF&E and OS&E Procurement: Objekts
Amanda Huggett is the Managing Editor for Casino Enterprise Management. She can be reached at (701) 293-7775 or editor2[at]aceme.org.
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