Location: 410 Sherman St NW Local register; Diversity: Scandinavians Olof Anderson House, 1953, Thurston County Assessor, Southwest Regional Archives Olof Anderson House today (2014), photo by Deb Ross This large colonial revival house was built in 1935 by Olof Anderson, the youngest of the Anderson brothers who emigrated from Sweden and founded Tumwater Lumber Mills (TLM). TLM…
Location: 410 Capitol Way S National Downtown Historic District, Diversity: Jewish Heritage Bettman Store around 1885, Image courtesy of Washington State Historical Society Bettman Store site today, Photo courtesy of Matthew Kennelly Louis Bettman came to Olympia in 1853 and, along with his brothers Mose and Sig, opened his general merchandise store soon afterwards, at the…
Location: 216 9th Ave SE Local Register; Diversity: Jewish heritage Bettman-Oppenheimer House about 1983, courtesy Washington State Archives, Olympia Planning Department collection Bettman-Oppenheimer House today (2010) photograph by Deb Ross The Bettman-Oppenheimer House was built by local merchant Louis Bettman as a wedding gift to his daughter Belle Bettman. The elaborate Queen Anne style was…
Location: 222 5th Ave SE mid-Century modern; National Register, State Heritage Register; Downtown National Historic District Capital Savings and Loan Building 1964, Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation files Capital Savings and Loan Building today (2014), photo by Deb Ross Inspired by the 1963 World’s Fair in Seattle, the local firm of Sibold and Nesland…
Location: 410 5th Ave NW mid-Century modern Capitol Center Building late 1960s, Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation collection Capitol Center Building in 2014 before remodeling (2014), photo by Deb Ross Widely criticized for a time, for its obstructing views and deteriorating condition, the Capitol Center Building was at one time the feather in local…
Location: Water Street and Legion Way mid-Century modern; Diversity: gay and lesbian history Capitol Lake Restrooms, undated, Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation collection Capitol Lake restrooms today (2014), photo by Deb Ross In late 1960, a civic group was formed named the Committee for the 60s, to study and recommend possible capital improvement projects…
Location: 201 Union Ave SE Heritage Tree O’Brien home in the background, 1949, Thurston County Assessor, Southwest Regional Archives Centennial Park today (2014), photo by Deb Ross Rossell O’Brien, an Irish immigrant, fought in the Civil War, and arrived in Olympia in 1870, appointed as revenue collector under Governor Salomon. He married Fanny Steele, daughter of…
Location: 201 8th Ave SE Religious institutions; Diversity: Jewish heritage Christian Science church, 1961, courtesy Washington State Historical Society Temple Beth Hatfiloh (Christian Science building) today (2014), photo by Deb Ross A group of Christian Science students began to meet in Olympia early in the 20th century. According to historian Bernice Sapp, they met in the…
Location: 2129 4th Ave E Religious institutions Church of the Brethren congregation, in front of their original building at this location, in about 1911, used by permission Church of the Brethren building today (2015), photo by Deb Ross The Christian denomination Church of the Brethren, sometimes referred to as the Dunker Church, was founded in Germany in 1708.…
Location: 311 19th St SE Local register; South Capitol National Historic Neighborhood Cunningham House, 1941, Thurston County Assessor, Southwest Regional Archives Cunninghan House today (2014), photo by Deb Ross The Cunningham House is an unusual and beautifully preserved example of an Art Moderne style home in the South Capitol neighborhood. G.B. Reishus was the architect for the home, which…
Location: 119 22nd Ave SW Local register; South Capitol National Historic District L.E. Dawley House, 1956, Thurston County Assessor, Southwest Regional Archives L.E. Dawley House today (2014), photo by Deb Ross This beautifully maintained Spanish Colonial home was built in about 1929 by Leo E. Dawley, one of the two Dawley Brothers contractors who were responsible for many…
Location: 515 Adams St SE Deane Apartments, 1964, Thurston County Assessor, Southwest Regional Archives Deane Apartments today (2014), photo by Deb Ross This handsome Mission-style apartment building was erected in 1935, and has changed very little since then. It is known for the palm trees that complement the tropical appearance of the building. Additional resources: Olympia Heritage inventory Looking…
Location: 7th Avenue and Adams St Farquhar Store, Jeffers Photograph of earlier drawing of unknown date, Susan Parish Photograph Collection, 1889-1990, Washington State Archives Farquhar site today (2014), photo by Deb Ross Alexander Farquhar immigrated from Scotland and settled in Olympia in 1858. He worked for several years for Charles Williams at the Olympia Hardware Store, then…
Location: 701 Franklin St SE Religious institutions; Wohleb; Local register First Christian around 1897, from Lawson, 100 Years of Christian Witness. First Christian Church today (2014), photo by Deb Ross The Disciples of Christ (also known as Christian) denomination arrived in Thurston County in the very earliest years of American settlement, when the Longmire family founded a…
Location: 1717 Jefferson St SE Local register; South Capitol National Historic Neighborhood Fleming House, 1942, Thurston County Assessor, Southwest Regional Archives Fleming House today (2014), photo by Deb Ross The Fleming House was built about 1941 for John Gragg, a member of the Olympia Veneer cooperative. It was bought shortly after by the Fleming family, who owned Fleming-Harvey Motors…
Location: 1908 Washington St SE Local register; South Capitol National Historic Neighborhood Gust and Nanny Forsberg House, 1939, Thurston County Assessor, Southwest Regional Archives Gust and Nanny Forsberg House today (2014), photo by Deb Ross The Gust and Nanny Forsberg House is a good and well-maintained example of the English Builder style, built about 1936. Forsberg was…
Location: 107 7th Ave SE Transportation; Diversity: Jewish heritage; National Downtown Historic District Parade for dead Spanish-American war soldiers, 1900, with Harris house in background, photo courtesy of Washington State Historical Society Greyhound station today (2013), photo by Deb Ross The Isaac Harris house was built in 1880 at an important location on the…
Location: 3008 Lorne St SE Local register Hamley House, 1941, Thurston County Assessor, Southwest Regional Archives Hamley House today (2014), photo by Deb Ross The Hamley House was built in 1940 for Frederick Hamley, a lawyer, public official, and judge. While most of his professional career was in Seattle and later on in San Francisco as…
Location: 518 Capitol Way Southeast Local Register, Downtown Olympia National Historical District, Diversity: Jewish Heritage; Transportation Harris Dry Goods Building interior, 1943, Vibert Jeffers photograph, Susan Parish Collection, Washington State Archives As it appears today Photograph courtesy of Deb Ross The block between Fifth Avenue and Legion Way on Capitol Way has always been one…
Anne Kilgannon, with thanks to Beth Dubey for background information. Louis Bettman arrived in Olympia and set up a general merchandise store in 1853. Within a year, two other establishments with Jewish proprietors opened for business in the muddy little village that would become the city of Olympia: Goldman and Rosenblatt’s People’s Emporium and M. Louisson’s…
Location: 1675 Marine Drive NE mid-Century modern Jacaranda Restaurant about 1983, City of Olympia Planning Department, Washington State Archives Anthony’s Hearthfire today (2020), courtesy Anthony’s For the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair, the Douglas Fir Plywood Association created a model home called the Century 21 Plywood Home of Living Light. After the fair was…
Location: 430 Percival St NW Local register Kelly House, 1939, Thurston County Assessor, Southwest Regional Archives Kelly House today (2014), photo by Deb Ross The Kelly House is one of several homes on Percival and nearby streets in the northwest neighborhood that were built about the same time by Tumwater Lumber Mills (TLM). TLM was founded by the Andersen brothers…
Location: 1700 Marine Drive NE mid-Century modern; Wohleb; National Register (accepted Oct 2024) KGY Building, 1960s, KGY Archives KGY Building today (2014), photo by Deb Ross The KGY Building is one of the city’s most distinctive mid-Century modern buildings. The radio station is one of the oldest in the United States, licensed in 1916. It was originally run…
Location: 424 Rogers St NW local register, Rogers Street Historic District Lassen House, 1937, Thurston County Assessor, Southwest Regional Archives Lassen House today (2014), photo by Deb Ross The Lassen House is one of five homes on Rogers Street Northwest that were built about the same time by Tumwater Lumber Mills (TLM). TLM was founded by the…
Location: 118 19th Ave SW Local register; South Capitol National Historic Neighborhood Elizabeth and Ralph Lee House, ca. 1939, Thurston County Assessor, Southwest Regional Archives Elizabeth and Ralph Lee House today (2018), photo by City of Olympia This Dutch Colonial style home was built some time between 1909 and 1924 in the South Capitol Neighborhood. It…
Location: 420 Carlyon St SE Local register Lucas House, 1953, Thurston County Assessor, Southwest Regional Archives Lucas House today (2018), photo by City of Olympia This home in the Carlyon neighborhood is a well-preserved example of a Tudor Revival cottage, common to the area. The home was built in 1926; it is well maintained and on the…
Location: 301 5th Ave E Popular culture Mann’s Seeds Building, 1964, Thurston County Assessor, Southwest Regional Archives Mann’s Seeds Building today (2014), photo by Deb Ross The utilitarian structure at the corner of Franklin and Fifth was built in 1945 and housed Mann’s Seeds. According to historian Bernice Sapp, this was the location of the home…
Location: Deschutes Parkway Women’s History The first women’s marathon trials, 1984, courtesy The Olympian Marathon Park today (2014), photo by Deb Ross Marathon Park, first created in 1970 out of fill that extended the park into Capitol Lake, was renamed to commemorate an historic event. In 1981, the International Olympia Committee finally decided to introduce a women’s…
Location: 1015 4th Ave SW mid-Century modern Perspective of Medical Arts Building, about 1962, Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation Medical Arts Building today (2014), photo by Deb Ross The Medical Arts Building was commissioned in 1962 by doctors E.V. Olson and William Bigelow. It was completed in 1966. The building was adjacent to St. Peter’s Hospital on…
Location: 1006 4th Ave NE mid-Century modern Metropolitan Life Insurance Building 1960s, Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation files Metropolitan Life Insurance Building (Crain’s Office Supply) today (2014), photo by Deb Ross This small Miesian style building was designed in 1958 by architect Kenneth Ripley and served as the Olympia office of Metropolitan Life until…
Location: 3811 Pifer Rd SE Local register; Women’s History Moore House, 1939, Thurston County Assessor, Southwest Regional Archives Moore House today (2014), photo by Deb Ross John and Olivia Moore built this unusual stucco bungalow in 1927. At the time, the location on Pifer Road was far in the outskirts of Olympia, past the Cloverfield farm. John…
Location: 525 Columbia St SW Diversity: Jewish heritage; Women’s History; Wohleb Olympia Junk Co. 1914, Robert Esterly, courtesy of Washington State Historical Society Olympia Junk Co building today (2012) photograph by Matt Kennelly The building that stands at the northwest corner of Legion and Columbia was built in 1925 to house the Olympia Junk Company.…
Location: 2112 Capitol Way S Local register; South Capitol National Historic Neighborhood Munson House, 1939, Thurston County Assessor, Southwest Regional Archives Munson House today (2014), photo by Deb Ross The Munson House was built in 1924 by the Munson family. Fred G. Munson was a member of a prominent Olympia pioneer family (see Munson store). He owned a drug…
Location: 625 Columbia St SW Diversity: Jewish heritage Olympia Supply, 1987, Courtesy of Olympia Supply Olympia Supply now (2012), photo by Matt Kennelly The Olympia Supply Company is the successor name to Olympia Junk, which was originally located one block to the north of this location. The business is still associated with the Bean family…
Location: 428 Rogers St NW local register, Rogers Street Historic District Paine House, 1937, Thurston County Assessor, Southwest Regional Archives Paine House today (2014), photo by Deb Ross The Paine House is one of five homes on Rogers Street Northwest that were built about the same time by Tumwater Lumber Mills (TLM). TLM was founded by the…
Location: 418 Rogers St NW local register, Rogers Street Historic District Potts House, 1937, Thurston County Assessor, Southwest Regional Archives Potts House today (2014), photo by Deb Ross The Potts House is one of five homes on Rogers Street Northwest that were built about the same time by Tumwater Lumber Mills (TLM). TLM was founded by the…
Location: 1502 Columbia St SW South Capitol National Historic Neighborhood; Women’s History Preston House, 1937, Thurston County Assessor, Southwest Regional Archives Preston House today (2014), photo by Deb Ross The Josephine Corliss Preston House was erected in 1907, a well-preserved Craftsman style house in the South Capitol Neighborhood, very close to Capitol Campus. The house is associated with Josephine…
Location: 311 4th Ave E Local register; Popular culture Rabeck Music Store (in next block to the east), Piano Trade Magazine, 1915 Rabeck Music Store building today (2014), photo by Deb Ross Ammon T. Rabeck arrived in Olympia in 1888, and after working in the mills for several years, opened up a small organ store at the…
Location: 1908 4th Ave E mid-Century modern Ralph’s Thriftway, 1958, Susan Parish Collection, Southwest Regional Archives Ralph’s Thriftway today (2014), photo by Deb Ross Ralph’s Thriftway opened at its present location between Fourth and State Avenues in 1956. It was a showcase for the very latest in grocery stores. It was also one of the largest stores…
Location: 113 4th Ave W National Downtown Historic District, Diversity: Jewish heritage, Women’s History, Popular Culture, Transportation Cohen’s confectionary, photo courtesy of Washington State Historical Society New Moon Cafe (Red Top Taxi building) today (2012) photograph by Deb Ross Annie and Barney Cohen operated the confectionary/pool hall at this location in the early 20th…
Location: 1617 Capitol Way S South Capitol National Historic Neighborhood; Women’s History Mustard House, 1936, Thurston County Assessor, Southwest Regional Archives Mustard House today (2014), photo by Deb Ross The Mustard House on Capitol Way in the South Capitol National Historic Neighborhood is one of the most prominent homes in the neighborhood. Designed in the Queen Anne style, it…
Location: 210 5th Ave SW mid-Century modern Seattle First National Building 1960s, Thurston County Assessor, Southwest Regional Archives Seattle First National (Bank of America) Building today (2014), photo by Deb Ross The Seattle First National Bank Building in downtown Olympia is similar to a building erected in the Denny neighborhood in Seattle for the…
Location: 110 Eleventh Ave SE Religious institutions United Churches of Olympia, around 1960, United Churches of Olympia collection United Churches of Olympia today (2014), photo by Deb Ross The United Churches of Olympia is a federated congregation of the First Congregational Church of Olympia and the First Presbyterian Church of Olympia. Both of these institutions are…
Location: 137 Sherman St NW Local register, Women’s history Samuel Ward House, 1970, Thurston County Assessor, Southwest Regional Archives Samuel Ward House today (2009), photo by Deb Ross The Samuel Ward House was built by a member of the pioneer Ward family, who owned a lumber mill on the Deschutes River in Tumwater. The home was built…
Location: 432 Rogers St NW local register, Rogers Street Historic District Ward Levenhagen House, 1937, Thurston County Assessor, Southwest Regional Archives Ward Levenhagen House today (2014), photo by Deb Ross The Ward Levenhagen House is one of five homes on Rogers Street Northwest that were built about the same time by Tumwater Lumber Mills (TLM). TLM was…
Location: 1801 4th Ave E Warmoth House, 1966, Thurston County Assessor, Southwest Regional Archives Warmoth House today (2015), photo by Deb Ross The Warmoth House was erected by George Warmoth, a railroad freight operator, in 1910. It is built in an interesting and unique combination of Prairie and Craftsman styles, earning it a place in Olympia’s inventory. It…
Location: 202 9th Ave SW Warnica and Warnica Building, 1966, Thurston County Assessor, Southwest Regional Archives Warnica and Warnica Building today (2015), photo by Deb Ross This building was erected as a mortuary by A.O. Warnica and his son Earl, in 1923. The Warnicas arrived here in 1905. Except for the enclosing in of the diagonal porch…
Location: 915 Capitol Way S local register; Wohleb; transportation Rear view of Weidner Auto Court, on 10th Avenue, 1965, Thurston County Assessor, Southwest Regional Archives Weidner Auto Court buildings today (2014), photo by Deb Ross The Pacific Highway in Washington State was designated in 1910, at the advent of the automobile age, to connect the cities of…
Location: 436 Rogers St NW local register, Rogers Street Historic District Winters House, 1937, Thurston County Assessor, Southwest Regional Archives Winters House today (2014), photo by Deb Ross The Winters House is one of five homes on Rogers Street Northwest that were built about the same time by Tumwater Lumber Mills (TLM). TLM was founded by the…
