Walla Walla Cloak & Suit House, 1910

Ransom Building, Walla Wall Paper & Stationery Company, 1909

Lyman Building

Book Nook Soda Fountain, 1910

"In the early 1980s, downtown Walla Walla was in a state of decline. Two malls opened on the outskirts of the city, Sears and J.C. Penney left tow, and the business-district vacancy rate neared 30 percent. To address the situation, in 1984, concerned business and property owners organized the Downtown Walla Walla Foundation and adopted the Main Street Four-Point Approach™ to downtown revitalization, focusing on design, organization, promotion, and economic restructuring.

"A streetscape project served as a focal point for historic preservation; renovation projects followed on its heels. The private sector responded by reinvesting in downtown, beginning with the complete renovation of the Liberty Theater, a critical component of a business retention effort aimed at keeping [Macy's] department store downtown.

"The most important change in the last 16 years has been the dramatic shift in the public's perception of downtown. While few people seemed to care about Walla Walla years ago, today it is a symbol of community pride." Read the entire article on the National Trust's web site.

1984
Downtown Walla Walla Foundation formed as the Walla Walla Main Street Foundation
1988
Foundation completes the "Downtown Walla Walla Redevelopment Plan"
1989
Initial work on the Landscape Improvement District (Streetscape project)
1991
City Council approves LID, contracts awarded, and construction begins
1992
Name Changed to the Downtown Walla Walla Foundation
Streetscape improvements completed
1996
Downtown Dollars gift certificate introduced
1999
Foundation started Walla Walla Village and Ornament series
2001
Walla Walla Wins Great American Main Street Award
2002
Walla Walla named Sunset Magazine’s Best Main Street in the West
Introduced Downtown Walla Walla Visa card
2004
Downtown Endowment fund started
20-year Downtown Revitalization Plan adopted
2005
20-year Downtown Revitalization Plan receives Excellence in Downtown Revitalization award
B&O Tax Credit "Main Street Bill" passed
2006
Information Kiosk installed at Heritage Square Park
2007
Walla Walla Market Station international design competition held
Downtown trees lit year-round

Trolley Car 1906

Train Depot 1909

Stack's, 1909

"It's 'the town so nice they named it twice.' Resting at the foot of the Blue Mountains in the southeastern region of Washington State, Walla Walla has been called one of the 'Best Small Art Towns in America.' A destination rich in history and natural beauty, Walla Walla boasts a vibrantly revitalized main street, year-round art and music festivals and abundant opportunities for family fun.

"The region was once inhabited by several Native American tribes, including the Walla Walla, whose name means 'many waters.' Later it became one of the first areas between the Rockies and the Cascades to be permanently settled by American pioneers. Between 1805 and 1806, Lewis and Clark passed through this historic territory, and in 1836 famed missionaries Marcus and Narcissa Whitman settled here.

"A gold rush in the 1860s made Walla Walla a major commercial, banking and manufacturing hub. Eventually - in the pre-Microsoft days - it became the largest city in the Washington Territory. After the gold rush waned, however, farming anchored this great city, and today agriculture is still the backbone of Walla Walla's economy." Read the entire article on the National Trust's site.

For additional historical information and pictures, visit the following sites:
Fort Walla Walla Museum
Walla Walla History
Historic Walking Tours
Walla Walla 2020
Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation