2019 Historic Downtown Walking Tour

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This building housed the original well for the town of Pullman.

This is the former site of Pullman Building Supply. The Quonset hut was constructed in 1952 for the Standard Lumber Company. The office structure and additional outbuildings were added later.

3. Union Pacific Depot

Passenger demand and a rising local population inspired the Union Pacific Railroad, in 1938, to rebuild an existing station to compete with the nearby Northern Pacific Railroad Depot. This new brick depot replaced an older nineteenth century wooden structure, built originally for the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company, and was in keeping with a variety of brick edifices that had risen both in downtown Pullman and at Washington State College earlier in the twentieth century. Now out of service as a depot, the Union Pacific logo still graces the north facade of the renovated structure. Original wooden beams are still clearly visible inside.

4. Oregon Railway and Navigation Company Railroad Bridge

This steel Pratt through-truss bridge serves as a physical symbol of Pullman's regional, national, and global reach. For many years, it has spanned the occasionally volatile South Fork of the Palouse River and has provided vital support for trains hauling agricultural products and passengers. The bridge suffered significant damage during the 1910 flood, but was reconfigured to ensure protection against future water events. It is still in use and located on private property.

5. Historic Star Route and Palouse Street Brick Road

Once known as the Star Route, the red brick portions of Maple Street and Palouse Streets are the remains of an old postal route. In the early 1910s, the Pullman Chamber of Commerce voted to pave the roads leading to the Washington State campus. Brick was chosen on streets with a steeper incline to give horses more traction. The remaining brick road is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

6. Northern Pacific Railroad Depot (Pullman Depot Heritage Center)

In June 1916, the Northern Pacific Railroad replaced a smaller wooden structure with a distinguished passenger depot befitting the first transcontinental railroad to span the Pacific Northwest. The new station featured wrought iron grillwork, gabled parapets, brass fittings, oak furniture, and marble restrooms-some of which are still visible in the reconfigured lobby. During the first half of the twentieth century, the "Cougar Special" train departed from the depot and brought Washington State College students to and from Seattle. The Whitman County Historical Society purchased the property in 2018 and formed the Pullman Depot Heritage Center.

This Tour is a Walking Tour.

2019 Historic Downtown Walking Tour

Created by Jason Radtke on May 29th 2019, 9:04:40 am.

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Description

The tour will begin at the Pullman Depot Heritage Center, located at 330 N Grand Avenue. Volunteers and members of the Historic Preservation Commission will be at selected locations downtown to explain the history of the Umpqua Bank building, Pullman Depot Heritage Center, Star Route and several other resources of historic significance. Walk at your own pace as you learn about Pullman’s past as reflected in its historic structures. Please arrive for the tour wearing weather-appropriate clothing no later than 7:30 p.m. It will take at least half an hour to complete the tour.

Entries on This Tour

2019 Historic Downtown Walking Tour

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