The Columbia Motor Co. Building Press Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 15, 2025 Rainier Valley Historical Society Acquires Historic Building to Establish Permanent Community Museum Seattle, WA — Rainier Valley Historical Society (RVHS) is excited to announce the purchase of the historic Columbia Motor Co. building at 3806 S Ferdinand Street in Columbia City. This milestone marks the start of a permanent home for RVHS. After more than 130 years of collecting, preserving, and sharing the diverse history of Southeast Seattle, RVHS (previously Columbia Pioneers) will now create a dedicated museum space to host public programs and expand access to its archives and collections. “We are thrilled to plant roots in the neighborhood we’ve long served, and we are grateful to everyone who helped us reach this historic moment,” said Karen O’Brien, RVHS Board President. The building will house exhibits and host educational programs and cultural events that reflect the neighborhood’s history of immigration, migration, labor, activism, and resilience. RVHS is currently in the early stages of site preparation and stabilization, with renovation plans underway to transform the building into a welcoming community space. RVHS extends heartfelt thanks to the seller and the donor for their commitment to preserving local history, to our board and volunteers for their tireless dedication, and to the community members whose belief in this vision never wavered. Public meetings will be held later this year to gather community input for the building’s design and future use. To learn more or support this next chapter, visit rainiervalleyhistoricalsociety.org. Media Contact: Rainier Valley Historical Society office@rainiervalleyhistory.org 206-723-1663

Join our team of volunteers who help us process archives, develop programming, and host events. Volunteer Form RVHS has collected, preserved, and shared the stories of Rainier Valley since 1891. Our volunteers are essential partners in this effort. First Name Last Name Email Availability 1 day a week 1 day a month Occasionally What are you interested in helping with? Archiving Events Office hours Special projects Tell us a little bit about yourself and your interests SUBMIT Thanks for your interest! We'll get back to you shortly.

Help us preserve and celebrate the history of the Rainier Valley. Be a part of our advocacy for local preservation. Support RVHS Your gift helps preserve the stories, cultures, and histories that make Rainier Valley unique. Every donation supports our archives, exhibits, programs, and the creation of Rainier Valley Heritage Hall. Thank you for your support!

Help us preserve and celebrate the history of the Rainier Valley. Be a part of our advocacy for local preservation. Become a Member With your support, we provide programs that explore diverse topics including cultural traditions, social activism, architectural history, and environmental stewardship. Your contributions also help us maintain our extensive digital and physical archives, many of which are housed at our Columbia City Office, ensuring public access to this valuable resource. Members enjoy these core benefits: Subscription to all RVHS publications. Presale access and reduced admission to tours, programs, lectures, and special events. Discounted image and document reproduction. 4 Hours of personalized research assistance. Together, we can preserve and celebrate the heritage of Rainier Valley!

The Rainier Valley Historical Society maintains an ever-growing collection of photographs. These images are housed within our main database, PastPerfect, for public exploration and research. Additionally, RVHS offers photo essays and curated gallery selection, King County Snapshots, a collaborative project with the University of Washington and other Washington museums. Photographs The Rainier Valley Historical Society maintains an ever-growing collection of photographs. These images are housed within our main database, PastPerfect, for public exploration and research. Additionally, RVHS offers photo essays and curated gallery selection, King County Snapshots, a collaborative project with the University of Washington and other Washington museums. Search Our Database Search our collection of 2,200+ photographs, articles, and artifacts. search Photo Essays Discover photo essays crafted by the RVHS team and guest writers. discover King County Snapshots Explore a curated collection of 350+ photos in collaboration with King County. explore Need help with a project? Looking for images for your project or need research assistance? Reach out to RVHS—we're here to help! Schedule an appointment or email us with your questions. We also handle photo prints and usage requests via email. Contact us at office@rainiervalleyhistory.org . contact us

We are interested in expanding our collection of photographs, artifacts, and documents. Please let us know if you have items you would be interested in donating. Grow Our Collection We are interested in expanding our collection of photographs, artifacts, and documents. Please let us know if you have items you would be interested in donating. All donation offers must be reviewed by our Collections Committee which meets monthly. While we are grateful for all offers, our Collections Policy requires that items accessioned into the collection have relevance to the history of the Rainier Valley. Cur rent priorities for collecting include: Items that reflect the wider Rainier Valley community, beyond Columbia City. Items that reflect cultural diversity and the post WWII era. If you'd like to discuss a collections donation, please email the collections committee at office@rainiervalleyhistory.org get in touch

Rainier Valley Heritage News is a semi-annual publication established in 1993. This newsletter serves as a rich chronicle of historical narratives and community insights, dedicated to preserving the heritage of Rainier Valley. Newsletters The Rainier Valley Heritage News is a semi-annual publication established in 1993. This newsletter serves as a rich chronicle of historical narratives and community insights, dedicated to preserving the heritage of Rainier Valley. Spring 2025 Fall 2025 Spring 2025 Fall 2024 Spring 2024 Fall 2023 Spring 2023 Rainier Valley Roots: The School Garden Movement Fall 2022 The Dunlaps on Lake Washington Spring 2022 Fall 2021 V is for Veterans Spring 2021 Ron Chew's Unforgotten Seattle Fall 2020 Women in isolation at Rainier Beach Crittenton Home Spring 2020 Fall 2019 Spring 2019 From Wilderness to Park Fall 2018 Spring 2018 History of Mt. Baker Fall 2017 40 Years of Cuts, Shaves & Shines! Spring 2017 A Horse, A Cow, Chickens, and Turkeys, Oh My! Fall 2016 Lakewood Pioneer Family Member Honored As Hero Spring 2016 Celebrate RVHS at our annual meeting for members and friends! Fall 2015 Columbia Electric Bakery - From Spark to Flame Spring 2015 The Newspaper Project Fall 2014 Newspaper Project Spring 2014 Remembering the ‘70s Load More

Visit us during office hours on Fridays from 10 am to 3 pm or schedule an appointment. Visit Us Visit us during office public hours or schedule an appointment. Office Hours: Wednesday-Friday 1PM - 5PM Saturdays 10AM - 2PM Address Our Office 3710 S Ferdinand St Seattle, WA 98118 Mailing Address PO BOX 18143 Seattle, WA 98118 Contact (206) 723-1663 office@rainiervalleyhistory.org

Rainier Valley Historical Society has photographs of many historic homes and buildings in the Rainier Valley, particularly in and around Columbia City. We also have information about the general history of the neighborhood, which may also be helpful to you. Research Your House The Rainier Valley Historical Society has photographs of many historic homes and buildings in the Rainier Valley, particularly in and around Columbia City. We also have information about the general history of the neighborhood, which may also be helpful to you. Another place to look for historic photographs of your house is the Puget Sound Regional Archives , located at Bellevue Community College. Look under "King County Property Records," find your tax parcel # (it's all right there on the site), and e-mail or call them to see what they've got. They should have a photo of the house from 1937 (a county-wide photo survey was done that year by the WPA), plus information about when the house was built, etc. The archivists there can point you to more resources if you want to keep going. The Seattle Polk Directories are also helpful. A complete set of these directories — essentially the phone book, but they go back way before phones — is available at the Seattle Public Library's downtown site, and at the Seattle Municipal Archives . Many of these volumes also have reverse directories, so you can look up an address and find out what was there in any given year. The Seattle Municipal Archives also has a searchable online database of photographs, but they tend to focus on engineering projects and not residential buildings. If you are interested in restoring your old house, Historic Seattle has wonderful resources for researching architectural history and finding historically accurate building supplies and fixtures. List of Resources Puget Sound Regional Archives Seattle Public Library Seattle Municipal Archives Historic Seattle Need help with your project? RVHS is here to help! Schedule an appointment with our collections team or email your questions to office@rainiervalleyhistory.org . contact us

Rainier Valley Historical Society's roots go back to 1891, when the families who bought the first lots in Columbia City gathered to celebrate the founding of their community. The "Columbia Pioneers" continued to meet every April for 100 years. During that time they gathered an extensive collection of photographs documenting the early years of Columbia City and Rainier Valley. In 1993 the group reorganized and became Rainier Valley Historical Society. Rainier Valley Historical Society's roots go back to 1891, when the families who bought the first lots in Columbia City gathered to celebrate the founding of their community. The "Columbia Pioneers" continued to meet every April for 100 years. During that time they gathered an extensive collection of photographs documenting the early years of Columbia City and Rainier Valley. In 1993 the group reorganized and became Rainier Valley Historical Society. RVHS inherited the mantle of the Columbia Pioneers, along with their collection of historic photographs, documents, and artifacts. RVHS has continued to expand their archives, which now includes more than 30,000 photographs, documents, artifacts, and oral histories. Through projects such as Dismantling Racism Series, Images of America: Rainier Valley, Rainier Valley Food Stories, Looking Into Courtland Place, Double Exposures, Hidden Stream of Columbia City, Hillman City Time Capsule, and Honored to Serve, we have involved Rainier Valley neighbors in gathering and sharing more stories about our community's unique history. Learn more about The Rainier Valley See more articles Become a Member Help us preserve and celebrate the history of the Rainier Valley. Be a part of our advocacy for local preservation. Support RVHS

Rainier Valley Historical Society maintains an ever-growing archive of historic photographs, documents, maps, oral histories, and artifacts. Our Archives & Collections The Rainier Valley Historical Society maintains an ever-growing archive of historic photographs, documents, maps, oral histories, and artifacts. The collection - along with a library of books and other research materials relating to the Rainier Valley - is available to the public during office hours or by appointment and on our online databases. Researchers are encouraged to contact the RVHS to discuss their requests in advance by emailing office@rainiervalleyhistory.org . Contact Our Team Collections Committee In 2009 the RVHS Board adopted a new Collections Policy that outlines our commitment to collect and preserved the historical materials in our care. The new policy establishes a Collections Committee that will oversee accessions, cataloging, and preservation efforts. Collections Scope The collection focuses on the history of the Rainier Valley from 1850 to the present day. Our geographic boundaries are from Dearborn Street on the north to the city limits on the south, and from I5 freeway to Lake Washington. Our collection has historically centered on the Columbia City and the period from 1890-1940, but we are working to expand the collection to include a broader geographic range, materials from WWII and the post war period, and from many ethnic and cultural communities to present the Rainier Valley today. Explore Our Archives Articles & Publications Photographs Newsletters Oral Histories

To collect, preserve, exhibit, and interpret the history and heritage of Rainier Valley and its community and to educate and promote public involvement in, and appreciation of, its history and culture. Our Mission To collect, preserve, exhibit, and interpret the history and heritage of Rainier Valley and its community and to educate and promote public involvement in, and appreciation of, its history and culture. Our Goals 01. Research, document, and preserve the history of Rainier Valley. 03. Develop knowledge and understanding of the multi-ethnic history of the area. 02. Foster pride in Rainier Valley’s unique heritage. 04. Maintain and add to our permanent archive of oral histories, photographs, documents, and artifacts relating to the Rainier Valley. Land Acknowledgement: Rainier Valley Historical Society acknowledges the land our mission statement refers to as Rainier Valley is the original home of the Duwamish and Coast Salish peoples. We recognize the reverberations of colonialism past and present and the painful history of forced removal of these groups. Through this acknowledgment, we hope to honor and respect the Indigenous peoples who were, and still are connected to and are stewards of this land. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement Rainier Valley Historical Society is dedicated to sharing the stories and histories of the many types of community that make the larger Rainier Valley community a place of diversity and differences. Become a Member Help us preserve and celebrate the history of the Rainier Valley. Be a part of our advocacy for local preservation. Support RVHS