The Rockway-Leland Building was built in two stages between 1921 and 1941, the later portion in an Art Moderne style designed by Joseph Wohleb.The building was the home of Olympia Oil and Wood Products, and was named after the company’s owner and manager. The building was also once the home of Olympia’s first radio station, KGY. Studios on the second floor are acoustically perfect, and have long hosted local radio stations. It once sported a 150 foot tall tower on the roof, visible in this photo from about 1941.
Vibert Jeffers photograph, around 1941, Susan Parish Collection, Washington State Archives AR20090812-ph008620
Text © Deborah Ross and The Olympian 2017 and 2026