The intersection of Fourth Avenue and Capitol Way was the site of Olympia's first water pump - a community crossroads where pioneer residents met, talked and swapped news. It was also the spot where the town placed its cannon during the Puget Sound Indian War of 1855-56.

The Chambers Block, erected on this prominent corner in 1887, is one of the oldest surviving business blocks in downtown Olympia. It was built by A.H. Chambers, son of an early pioneer family and Olympia's mayor at the time. Designed by Tacoma architect John G. Proctor, the Chambers Block reflected a new sophistication in the growing frontier city. Commercial buildings were no longer seen as strictly utilitarian, but as handsome and lavishly decorated ornaments to the town.

Stones for the building's foundation were hauled from nearby Mud Bay. Bricks for its walls, laid by masons Patnude and Bluevelt, were fired at Charles Patnude's brickyard on Olympia's east side. Some of the building's most striking Victorian details-including a fancy roofline cornice and a pair of upstairs bay windows-were destroyed by a major earthquake in 1949. But original cast-iron pilasters (decorative mock columns) can still be seen at street level, and some original decoration can still be seen above. New, somewhat simpler bay windows were added when the Chambers Block was renovated in 1987.

The Chambers Block is located at the corner of Fourth Avenue and Capitol Way. It is listed on the Olympia Heritage Register and is open to the public.

Chambers Block. Olympia Heritage Commission photo.

The 1887 Chambers Block, designed by architect John G. Proctor of Tacoma. The stones of its foundation, hauled from nearby Mud Bay, were laid by local masons Patnude and Bluevelt. Washington State Capital Museum, Washington State Historical Society.