Centralia Downtown History
Our George Washington, the son of slaves and soon to become one of the city’s richest men, platted Centralia as “Centerville” in 1875. The city soon became the transportation center – “Hub” – for all of Southwest Washington, due to its location on the major north-south shipping route and the new east-west rail connections. The railroad connection to maritime shipping facilitated local coal mining, lumber and agriculture business trade in both national and international markets. The newly born “Hub City” developed the qualities and amenities of a much larger city. The largest railroad depot, other than Portland and Seattle, hosted 44 passenger trains daily. Fourteen hotels, five theaters, 12 banks, 24 taverns and downtown restaurants dotted Tower Avenue. Fraternal organizations flourished. The Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks, the Masons, and the Fraternal Order of the Eagles erected dramatic structures that mingled with commercial structures. Each year’s calendar was full of cultural, recreational and community events. The demands of a flourishing economy created the need to found Washington’s first community college – Centralia College. That was 1924!
Seventy-five years later, in January 1999, the Centralia City Council confronted declining commercial property tax revenues and rising costs of providing services to the businesses and residents in the downtown core. Vacant and deteriorating commercial properties in the City Center had created a negative impact on police and fire services. The Council explained the crisis and a possible solution to its local citizens and the business community in an “An Open Letter to the Citizens of Centralia”. The Council committed itself to the restoration of Downtown Centralia as the economic and cultural center of Centralia. The Council concluded that Centralia’s future was in its past: the restoration of its historic buildings into a hospitality center that would be the economic generator to revitalize the town.