Columbia City: Then & Now

Take a stroll through time with this 1908 photo of Rainier Avenue, looking East towards the heart of Columbia City between Edmonds Street on the left and Ferdinand Street to the right.

Can you recognize what still stands more than 100 years later? Scroll down to test your Columbia City knowledge

View to the East along Rainier Ave. Photo by Ashel Curtis. UW Libraries, Special Collections, UW31146.

The Toby Building – 4850 Rainier Ave S (Built 1907)

Legend has it that Simeon Toby planned to build a bank in Hillman City but got off the streetcar in Columbia City to visit a friend and never left. With some persuasion, he opened the bank here instead. Toby’s Bank operated at this corner from 1903 to 1924 before moving across the street. Today, the building is home to State Farm.

Phalen Hall – 4864 Rainier Ave S (Built 1892)

Originally built by the Knights of Pythias as a two-story meeting hall, the building was purchased by Bill Phalen in 1900. He ran a grocery store downstairs and became a beloved community leader, starting the volunteer fire department, founding a local baseball team, and serving as Columbia City’s final mayor before annexation to Seattle in 1907. A 1941 fire destroyed the second story, but the first floor—protected by a sturdy oak dance floor—survived. Now home to Columbia City Bakery and Gather Consignment.

Peirson House – 3815 S Ferdinand St (Built 189)

Developer J.K. Edmiston sold Columbia City lots for $300—just $10 down and $10/month—as long as buyers built within a year. This home, owned by former mayor Van R. Peirson (1900–1902), is one of only four original houses still standing from that early wave of development. One of just two remaining homes on Ferdinand Street within the Columbia City Landmark District.

Columbia Hotel – 4900 Rainier Ave S (Built 1891)

German mason Joseph Hellenthal built Columbia City’s first brick building for his family, later converting it into a hotel. Guests included Buffalo Bill Cody. Over the years, the building hosted a dry goods store, a speakeasy, and a tavern called Slim’s. In 1997, Lottie Motts Coffee Shop opened, helping to usher in a new era of neighborhood revitalization. Today, it lives on as Lottie’s Lounge.

4901 Rainier Ave S (Built 1905)

Constructed by H. Harlow A. Hastings—attorney, mayor, and early Columbia City resident—this brick corner building has seen decades of neighborhood history. It housed everything from a drugstore and post office to a grocery store and a popular 1950s diner. Currently home to Pagliacci Pizza.