The 10 Most Interesting Buildings In Yakima
This list is sure to create some controversy as I'm sure I'll accidentally leave a well designed building off the list. My apologies to anyone who feels slighted but these are the coolest buildings in Yakima from my perspective as someone who has lived here for a year and a half.
#10 is this cool loft over the Flying Pig BBQ and I love it because it has to have to coolest patio in all of the Yakima Valley.
#9 is the old Yakima Fire Hall/City Hall/Opera House on N. Front Street. This entire row of buildings (Along with the old Train Depot) makes North Front Street the most unique in Yakima and why we held Downtown Summer Nights there.
#8 is the new Yakima Convention Center. What an awesome facility inside and out! Not only are the amenities first class and the building an icon of modern design but it's also drawing a lot of needed business to Yakima making us an attractive place for organizations to hold their conventions.
#7 is the Yakima Museum (a tip of the hat to Mid Century Modern design) next to Franklin Park on Tieton Drive.
#6 is the Wells Fargo building at 1st St. and Yakima Ave. and it barely edged out the Yakima Museum because it is the pinnacle of Mid Century Modern design (in Yakima) and it still has the cool '60s chandeliers in the foyer.
#5 is Cowiche Canyon Restaurant on 2nd St. and Yakima Ave. I dig this place because not only is the food bomb but their building does a great job of blending modern design with the vibe of the outdoors in the Pacific Northwest.
#4 is the old Yakima Train Depot. An iconic building from yesteryear that has been repurposed by Russillo's Italian Restaurant and Northtown Coffee, one of the very few sit-down coffeehouses in Yakima.
#3 is Eisenhower High School. Not long after arriving in Yakima I caught a glimpse of this gleaming jewel. Man, how I wish I could have gone to a high school this nice!
#2 is the grand dame of Yakima architecture ... The Capitol Theatre!
#1 stands regally as a symbol of Yakima's past and, if anyone listens to my suggestion (read below), the catalyst that kickstarts the gentrification of Downtown Yakima. Outside of San Francisco she is maybe the most impressive Art Deco structure built west of the Mississippi... The Larson Building.
Outside of some offices and the retail spaces down below I don't really know what the upper floors are currently used for but what is obvious to me (and to former Mayor Micah Cawley) is that for Downtown Yakima to meet its full potential, it needs to have more residents in its downtown core. If the upper floors of the Larson Building were turned into condos (affordable, not $300K condos) then that would attract the types of younger, upwardly mobile couples and professionals that make for a vibrant thriving downtown. There are many other spaces where they could create residences mixed with retail as well.
Here's another shot of the lower part of the Larson Building I took because close up it's difficult to fit it all in one frame.