6-291950wildwood

Olympia Centennial Souvenir Program, Southwest Regional Archives
The Wildwood Building (also known as the G.C. Valley Shopping Center) was the first shopping center built in Olympia, in 1938. The building was designed for owner G.C. Valley by Olympia architect Joseph Wohleb, as he transitioned from his signature Mission style into Art Moderne, which echoed the sleek streamlining of the automobile industry. This advertisement appeared in a newspaper supplement for Olympia’s centennial celebration in 1950. Photograph selected and captioned by the Olympia Historical Society and Bigelow House Museum. For more information, see olympiahistory.org.