Looking Back’s theme for 2026 is Downtown by the Decades. On a frigid day in January 1937, the imposing Odd Fellows Hall, at the southwest corner of Capitol Way and 5th Avenue, burned down. Firefighters bravely battled the fire; icicles hanging from power lines dramatically illustrate the challenge due to the freezing weather. Image selected and captioned by Deborah Ross on behalf of the Olympia Historical Society and Bigelow House Museum, https://olympiahistory.org.
Olympia Fire Department collection, 1937, Washington State Archives