Art Deco/Art Moderne Walking Tour

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 of character of the majority of their replacements. It will be a dark day when the Pepsi-Cola Bottling Co. building will be razed, so do yourself a favor and take a walk to enjoy it while it still stands. The other four buildings on the walking tour are listed on historic registers, so I am assuming they should be fairly safe from demolition for the time being.

If you know of any more examples of this style of architecture in the area, let me know in the comments.

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