Northern Pacific depot

Location: 721 Columbia St SW
Transportation, mid-Century

Northern Pacific Railroad depot around 1914, photo courtesy of Washington State Historical Society

Northern Pacific Depot today (2012), photo by Matt Kennelly

The first Northern Pacific depot, pictured at above left, was built in about 1891, the year that the Northern Pacific railroad reached downtown Olympia (see also 7th Avenue Tunnel). It was a long clapboard building with a platform facing the tracks adjacent to the Deschutes Estuary (now Capitol Lake). This building was razed in 1966 and replaced by the current building, with similar architecture, in 1967. Following the demise of passenger service to downtown Olympia, this building was acquired by the state and is currently (2012) vacant.

For more information follow these links:

Olympia Heritage inventory

Washington State Historical Society (enter the following catalog numbers in Collection Search box): 2010.149.31.2, 2010.149.42.2, C1964.26.4.4.7, C1958.1328.5

Two photos from Moody Collection: with water tower in background. ; with Fourth Avenue bridge in background