Looking Back’s theme for 2026 was Downtown by the Decades. Olympia was the hub of the music and performance art scene of the 1990s with several famed musicians, film-makers, and artists having their start here. For several years, the Capitol Theater hosted the Yo Yo a Go Go festival that featured established and up-and-coming performers including Sleater-Kinney, Eliot Smith, and Nirvana members.
Photo Courtesy Pat Castaldo, Yo Yo a Go Go cofounder, Wikimedia Commons
Looking Back’s theme for 2026 is Downtown by the Decades. In 1996, the City of Olympia acquired a parcel of property between Fourth and Fifth Avenue as part of the Heritage Park complex. A generous bequest funded the popular interactive Heritage Fountain, shown here in a City of Olympia image from around 1997.
Looking Back’s theme for 2026 was Downtown by the Decades. In May 1984, the City of Olympia was honored to host the time trials for the first Women’s Olympic Marathon. The race began and ended on Evergreen Park Drive, above the future site of Marathon Park, later named in honor of the event, and passed through downtown, witnessed by huge crowds.
1984 photo, Olympian archives
Looking Back’s theme for 2026 was Downtown by the Decades. In 1979, civic organizations and the City retained a national organization known as R/UDAT to come up with a vision for the revitalization of downtown Olympia. One recommendation was to make downtown streets more attractive and pedestrian-friendly. In 1981, Governor John Spellman cut the ribbon dedicating the “Fifth Avenue Demonstration Project,” which added pedestrian crossings, benches, and trees to the landscape.
Olympia Planning Commission archives, Washington State Archives
Looking Back’s theme for 2026 was Downtown by the Decades. In 1979, civic organizations and the City retained a national organization known as R/UDAT to come up with a vision for the revitalization of downtown Olympia. One recommendation was the development of a performing arts center. In 1984 the Washington Center for the Performing Arts, shown here under construction in 1983, was dedicated and remains a central element of the downtown arts scene.
Olympia Planning Commission archives, Washington State Archives
Looking Back’s theme for 2026 is Downtown by the Decades. From the 1930s to late 1970s, the Port of Olympia hosted an array of large tanks to store oil offloaded from ships. The tanks were finally removed in the early 1980s. The structure in front of the tanks in this image from about 1979 is currently the home of Olympia Seafood on Columbia Street.
Olympia Planning Commission archives, Washington State Archives
Looking Back’s theme for 2026 is Downtown by the Decades. In the 1970s, downtown Olympia had three second-run movie theaters, the Capitol, the State, and the Olympic. First-run movie showings had by then moved to the Capital Mall. Shown here in a photograph from around 1978 is the Olympic Theater on Washington Street near Legion Way (the current location of the Washington Center for the Performing Arts).
Olympia Planning Department archives, Washington State Archives
Looking Back’s theme for 2026 was Downtown by the Decades. The 1950s, 60s and 70s produced several important structures in downtown Olympia. The Evergreen Plaza building, erected in 1972, was jointly financed and constructed by several business owners who were pursuing a goal to add to commercial office space in downtown Olympia. It is considered an important addition to mid-century modern architecture downtown.
Olympia Planning Department photograph, Washington State Archives
Looking Back’s theme for 2026 was Downtown by the Decades. On September 15, 1967, an era came to an end with the closing of the iconic Mottman’s Mercantile department store, located at 4th and Capitol. Shown here, in a photo taken shortly before, is the ground floor of the store, looking down from the balcony where George Mottman presided until he was well into his 80s.
Mottman Collection, Olympia Historical Society and Bigelow House Museum
Looking Back’s theme for 2026 was Downtown by the Decades. The China Clipper, now the Clipper Cafe, is an iconic establishment in downtown Olympia. In this photograph from 1963, owner CY Wong is at work in the restaurant’s kitchen. The Clipper was one of the businesses destroyed in the Great Train Wreck of 1959, but was rebuilt within a year and continued to be a popular source of Chinese cuisine.
Daily Olympian photo, 1963, courtesy State Capital Museum collection, Washington State Historical Society, catalog C1986.43.63.1.2.4.1
Looking Back’s theme for 2026 was Downtown by the Decades. Shown here in a photo from 1962 is a new Mercury Comet station wagon at Kearns Motor, located on Cherry Street. The name reflected the fascination with the space race. The showroom demonstrated the versatility of the wagon, with camping gear and sleeping bags on display.
Susan Parish collection, Washington State Archives
Text © Deborah Ross and The Olympian 2026
Looking Back’s theme for 2026 was Downtown by the Decades. In the early 1960s, IBM was primarily associated with typewriters and adding machines (computers would not be widely available for some time to come). Its Olympia store was on Capitol Way, near 8th Avenue. IBM founder Thomas Watson required all workers to display IBM’s motto THINK on every desk and wall.
Susan Parish collection, Washington State Archives
Text © Deborah Ross and The Olympian 2026
Looking Back’s theme for 2026 is Downtown by the Decades. In May 1950, Olympia celebrated the centennial of its founding with a parade and other events. This image shows the float for Sunset Life Insurance, with riders in vintage attire.
Susan Parish collection, 1950, Washington State Archives
Text © Deborah Ross and The Olympian 2026
Looking Back’s theme for 2026 was Downtown by the Decades. Between 1950 and 1951, Capitol Lake was created by damming the Deschutes River estuary at Fifth Avenue. This image from 1950 shows the beginning of dam construction, with the estuary being narrowed by the construction of massive earthworks.
Unknown photographer, 1950, Susan Parish photograph collection, Washington State Archives
Text © Deborah Ross and The Olympian 2026
Looking Back’s theme for 2026 was Downtown by the Decades. In this photograph from 1942, we are looking west down 5th Avenue near the Franklin Street intersection. Several buildings in this photograph are still with us, including the Capitol Theater at right and the Donald Building at left. Others, such as the modern-looking Washington State Federation of Labor building to the left of the Donald Building, no longer exist. Image selected and captioned by Deborah Ross on behalf of the Olympia Historical Society and Bigelow House Museum, https://olympiahistory.org.
Susan Parish collection, Washington State Archives
Text © Deborah Ross and The Olympian, 2026
Looking Back’s theme for 2026 was Downtown by the Decades. For decades, the Little Hollywood community, consisting of “float houses,” businesses, and makeshift residences, existed along the Deschutes River Estuary. In 1941, most of it was evacuated, demolished, and burned, to make way for the development of Capitol Lake. A few makeshift homes and float houses continued to linger on throughout the 1940s. This image from 1950 shows the destruction nearly complete.
Olympia Fire Department collection, Washington State Archives, image SW-540-3-6-ph000009
Text © Deborah Ross and The Olympian 2026
Looking Back’s theme for 2026 is Downtown by the Decades. The USO Club in Olympia opened in early 1942, during World War II. It had a lounge, library, showers, and cafeteria. The USO (United Service Organization) is a nonprofit, founded in 1941, that provides support to service troops and their families. This building was located on Fourth Avenue near Bethel Street.
Unidentified photographer, around 1942, Susan Parish Collection, Washington State Archives
Text © Deborah Ross and The Olympian 2026