Today is My Friday

This two story brick building at the northeast corner of Main Street and 7th Street in downtown Vancouver, Washington currently serves as office space and has had various tenants throughout its life. As can be seen in the historical photo below from the 1940s, the top floor tenant was KVAN, one of the city's earliest radio stations. In its original incarnation, KVAN operated from 1939 to 1959, before relocating to Portland and rebranding as Top 40 station KISN. The KVAN call letters currently belong to a Spanish station in the Tri-Cities area. Photo credit: Vanishing Vancouver by Pat Jollota The station had a country and western format in the 1950s, and one of its DJs was the soon-to-be famous Willie Nelson. He hosted a daily show on the station called "The Western Express" and often played gigs at The Wagon Wheel in Camas. Nelson did not remain in Vancouver long, but he did manage to notch some significant life and career milestones during his time her...

The City of Vancouver is redesigning the stretch of Main Street from 5th Street to 15th Street, and they are seeking feedback from the community. More information on the project can be found here on the Be Heard Vancouver site. The link to the survey can be found here . Here are my answers to the survey questions: What is your hope for the future of Main Street? My hope for the future of Main Street is that it be a community gathering place that is accessible and convenient for people of all levels of mobility and modes of transportation. I do not own a car, so my primary modes of transportation are walking and cycling. While the current Main Street corridor is pedestrian-friendly, there are several improvements that can be made to be more welcoming to walkers, as well as cyclists. In order to make Main Street more welcoming to all, I offer the following suggestions: Replace angled parking spaces with parallel parking. Studies have shown that angled parki...

This is a first draft of a self-guided walking tour brochure that I have put together to highlight the Art Deco & Art Moderne buildings I have discovered in downtown Vancouver, Washington. I am not an architectural expert, so I have relied heavily on information from the Clark County Historic Preservation Commission. They have an excellent searchable map of noted historic and architectural treasures in the county on their website . My hope is that this map will generate interest in local history and architecture and strengthen further preservation efforts in the future. On that note, it has been brough to my attention that there are plans by the county to demolish the Pepsi-Cola Bottling Co. building (#5 on the walking tour) to expand the jail. I am a newcomer to Vancouver, so I am not aware of any preservation efforts that may have occurred with this building. When I see photos of long-gone buildings in the older parts of town, I am saddened by their loss and by the lack o...