Location: 702 Washington St SE
Thornton McElroy home around 1873, photograph courtesy of Washington State Historical Society |
702 Washington St. today, Photograph courtesy of Deb Ross |
Between Sylvester Park and the territorial capitol building at the current location of Capitol Campus, several prominent citizens erected stately homes in the 1870s and 1880s. A few have survived, but for the most part they have succumbed to commercial development downtown. The Thornton McElroy home was located near Sylvester Park, across from the Old State Capitol Building (current Superintendent of Public Instruction building, although McElroy died before that building was erected). Thornton McElroy was the co-publisher of Olympia’s first newspaper, the Columbian, established before Washington became its own territory separate from Oregon. Over the years his career included Mayor of Olympia, public printer, and banker. Thornton’s son Harry McElroy occupied the home after his father’s death (see also H.B. McElroy Store).
This is now the site of the Centurylink parking lot.
Links to more information:
Washington State Historical Society (enter following catalog numbers in Collections Search box): C1945.20.14, C1945.20.12, C1964.26.4.1.7; C1950.1301.19.14 (photograph of Harry McElroy and Charles M. Moore in yard of home)
For more information on the McElroy family, see the Residents section of this website.
Copyright © 2022 Deborah Ross