The Oldest Existing Building In The Tri-Cities Might Surprise You!

The Tri-Cities has more history than many people may realize.  While much of the growth of the area is attributed to Hanford and the Manhattan Project, the birth of our community predates "the H" by nearly half a century.  As a result, we have a number of structures (still standing) that date back to when the Tri-Cities began.

The Northern Pacific Railroad established Pasco in November of 1884 after the creation of Franklin County (1883) and the completion of a train bridge (also in 1883) spanning the Snake River.  The bridge was built to expand the Idaho division which was headquartered in Spokane.  Kennewick, which had a very small population at the time, would begin to grow in the 1890s when the Northern Pacific Irrigation Company began installing pumps for agriculture.

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Richland would come along in 1905 and functioned as a farm town until the U.S. Government stepped in and we know what followed.  Now that the super Cliff Notes version of the Tri-Cities has been laid out, you might be surprised which buildings have survived the early years.

Franklin County Historical Society and Museum in Pasco - Built in 1911

The Museum originally served as a library until 1962.  The building, then known as the Carnegie Library, came to be after a donation by industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie (yes THAT Andrew Carnegie).  After it's time as a library ended, the building served as a coffe shop, and a YMCA among other things.  In 1983 the Franklin County Historical Society took over the building, renovated it, and now operates it as a museum.

The Dyer Building in Richland - Built in 1909

You may not have know the actual name of the Gallery At The Park building, but you've never missed it walking down to the Columbia River next to Howard Amon Park.  It's served as a private home, a boarding house, and even a hotel over it's life.  It also served as a library and a community center.  It is also part of the National Park Society's Manhattan Project National Park.

The Moore Mansion in Pasco - Built in 1908

The same man who built the Moore Theater on Capitol Hill in Seattle and the Moore Hotel, built this as a home for his wife on the banks of the Columbia River.  The mansion has had it's ups and downs over the years.  A fire did significant damage in 2001 and it fell into disrepair.  In 2004 Brad and Debra Peck saved the home listed on the National Historic Register (1979) from demolition and brought it back to it's former majesty.  It changed hands in 2020 and continues to serve as a home and an event center.

Now for the oldest building still standing in the Tri-Cities...

United Pentecostal Church in Kennewick - Built circa 1900

The believed to be 125 year old building sits at the corner of 2nd and Auburn St. in Kennewick.  While the exact age is uncertain, a surveying assessment of the church places it at the dawn of the 20th Century.  It may come as a surprise to some that a church is the oldest building, but faith (especially then) plays a major role in a community.  It would make sense that the early settlers in the area would establish a church as a meeting place and house of worship.