Walla Walla's Building Boom
New brick developments on Main and Alder streets signal economic stability and growth.
Proof positive of Walla Walla's unsurpassed stability and prosperity is seen in the number of new business blocks and residences erected or under construction. W. S. Goodman and Thomas Durry are soliciting bids for two new business blocks. Mr. Goodman plans a two-story brick structure on his property in West Main Street, with a frontage of 60 feet and a depth of 90 feet, to be devoted to store and rooming purposes. Mr. Durry is planning to replace a building destroyed by fire on his East Alder Street property with a two-story brick building, 70 feet wide, running south to East Street.
“Proof positive of Walla Walla's unsurpassed stability and prosperity is readily seen in the number of new business blocks.”
The transition from wood to brick in the early 1900s was a critical marker of permanence in frontier towns. The tension between historical building preservation and the constant pressure for new development continues to define the landscape of downtown Walla Walla today.
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