In about 1937, the North Coast Lines built the art moderne building that stands at the corner of Capitol Way and 7th Avenue, where it was photographed here shortly after its completion. North Coast was one of the many subsidiaries of Puget Sound Power and Light, begun in 1922 to provide electrically-powered transportation up and down the coast, but soon branching out into motorized transportation. Today the building is the home of Greyhound Bus Lines and has retained most of its original art moderne features. In the 2000s, the Art Deco Society of Olympia acquired funds to repaint the building, along with its iconic motto: “See America By Bus the Modern Travel Way.” The building was converted in 2025 to a dining establishment.
Vibert Jeffers photograph, 1937, Susan Parish Collection, Washington State Archives, AR20090812-ph007715
Text © Deborah Ross and The Olympian 2016 and 2026