These 10 Towns In Washington Have Beautiful Architecture
Although known more for its nature than architecture, Washington has human-made marvels among its beaches, forests, mountains, islands, and deserts. From lighthouses on the coast to monuments in the middle to estates in the east, The Evergreen State shows brown, grey, silver, and gold and most of the colors and styles in its gorgeous architecture. Here are ten communities where you can see the best buildings in Washington.
Wilkeson
Wilkeson welcomes you with incredible architecture - literally. A near-century-old monument consisting of two stone pillars topped by a log is called the Wilkeson Arch and says "Welcome" to motorists who drive under it. While continuing through this 500ish-person town, they can admire Wilkeson School, which was built in 1912 and is said to be the oldest continuously operating elementary school in Washington and then veer off to see the Wilkeson Coke Ovens, which are 12-foot by eight-foot former ovens that produced thousands of tons of coke (a coal-based fuel) around the turn of the 20th century. They are now the centerpieces of lush Coke Oven Park.
Port Townsend
Considered one of the last Victorian seaports, Port Townsend is filled with elegant heritage buildings that can be viewed on numerous walking tours. One tour, called Legends and Lore of Port Townsend, takes a legendary look at the downtown district while discerning historical fact from fiction. Another, called Vanishing Murals of Port Townsend, hunts for "ghost" advertising murals from bygone days. Self-guided tours cover historic architecture like the Hastings Building, Rose Theatre, and the Haller Fountain; the park and marina at Point Hudson; and the shared haunts of the S'Klallam people and European settlers. There are even history hikes on the Olympic Discovery Trail, Dungeness River Levee Trail, and at Port Williams/Marlyn Nelson County Park.
Roslyn
A classic small town that is classified as a city, Roslyn's picture-perfect architecture has been captured by multiple TV/streaming series. The Brick Saloon, which is said to be Washington's oldest continuously operating bar, is featured in Northern Exposure, as is the artsy Roslyn Cafe, which also plays the Sunset Diner in The Man in the High Castle. Not captured - at least not entirely - are the Roslyn Historical Cemeteries: 27 uniquely beautiful graveyards uniquely organized by nationality, ethnicity, military service, and fraternal organization. Roslyn's deceased outnumber the living roughly five to one.
Goldendale
If you are looking for more unique but beautiful WA sights, look at Goldendale - and then look up. This southern interior community is known for its clear and lively skies, best viewed from the large public telescope under the dome at Goldendale Observatory. The building and its five acres of hilltop land have been preserved as Goldendale Observatory State Park. Twenty minutes south of the park is another stargazing site with spectacular architecture, Maryhill Stonehenge, a full-scale Stonehenge replica built in the 1920s by entrepreneur Samuel Hill. He also created the Maryhill Museum of Art, an eclectic gallery in a Beaux-Arts mansion perched on a nearby bluff.
Pomeroy
Pomeroy has extreme architectural diversity for a community of its size. Some 1,400 people mix among Gothic Revival, Queen Anne, Italianate, Commercial, Mission, Craftsman, Sullivanesque, Colonial Revival, Art Deco, and Moderne-style buildings. Many of these are contained in the Downtown Pomeroy Historic District, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. A few Pomeroy sites are so impressive as to be listed separately, such as the castle-esque Garfield County Courthouse, the Nez Perce-honoring Indian Timothy Memorial Bridge, and the intrepid Lewis and Clark Trail-Travois Road (technically five miles east of town).
Quinault
Straddling Lake Quinault on the edge of Olympic National Park, Quinault has more bark than bricks. Yet there are some handcrafted diamonds in the rough, like Lake Quinault Museum, The Salmon House Restaurant, and Lake Quinault Lodge. The last of those is a V-shaped Colonial Revival hotel that was built in 1926 and blended into the scenery with its earthy materials and colors. It was designed by architect Robert Reamer, who also created Yellowstone's Old Faithful Inn. Lake Quinault Lodge contends with the World's Largest Sitka Spruce as Quinault's most impressive structure.
Steilacoom
As the first incorporated town in Washington (then Washington Territory), Steilacoom is one of the only places in the state to find architecture over 150 years old. The William Webster House was built circa 1855 and still looks much like it did back then. The Nathaniel Orr Home and Orchard was completed in 1857 and largely restored in 2002. The Steilacoom Catholic Church, which also dates to 1855, was the first Catholic church erected in Washington. Steilacoom even has ancient buildings that house modern businesses, such as The Bair, a 19th-century drug store that is now a restaurant.
Ilwaco
A coastal community in extreme southern Washington, Ilwaco claims two grand, historic lighthouses. The first, North Head Lighthouse, was lit in 1898 and stands 65 feet tall on a 130-ish-foot cliff. The second, Cape Disappointment Lighthouse, stands 50-some feet tall at 220 feet above sea level. Completed in 1856, it is the oldest lighthouse in the state. Ilwaco also has inland architectural wonders like The Doupé Building, a 20,000-square-foot multi-use property dating to the late 19th century, as well as the Colbert House, an elegant residence built in the early 1870s and now a heritage site.
Molson
Molson is for tourists who find beauty in decay. The town contains several late-19th and early-20th-century buildings, many of which are wooden and worn and witnessed at the Old Molson Historic Site. These include the Molson State Bank, Sherling Family House, and Assay Office. Said buildings are stored with era- and industry-appropriate antiques since Molson was born out of mining and died from lack of mining in the 1930s. A slight departure and distance from weather-beaten Old Molson is the Molson School Museum, a cache of artifacts in a stately schoolhouse that shuttered in 1969.
Friday Harbor
Another iconic seaside town, Friday Harbor, sits on San Juan Island and thousands of years of human history. Much of that history can be gleaned from The San Juan Historical Museum, which consists of 19th-century haunts like the James King Farmhouse, the original County Jail, and the Scribner Cabin. More modern history is preserved in the Modernist glass building of The San Juan Islands Museum of Art. Additionally, thousands of years of cetacean history can be enjoyed at The Whale Museum, the first museum in America devoted to wild orcas, which is itself housed in the historic Odd Fellows Hall.
As one of the greenest (in both senses) states in America, Washington may not invoke grand and historic architecture, but such buildings do exist - and are essentially hidden - in lush rural communities. Washington's small towns have everything from a gateway arch to an Old West main street, a modern art museum, and a full-scale replica of Stonehenge. You just have to leave Seattle to find them.
