Greyhound depot in Olympia needs saving, group says

Olympia's downtown Greyhound bus station has been named one of the top 10 endangered buildings in the state by the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation, and a group is trying to save the art deco building.

That's according to Joyce Colton, founder of the Olympia-based Art Deco Society of the Northwest, which also considers the building endangered.

An on-again, off-again proposal to move the station to the Olympia Transit Center block on State Avenue has prompted concern from Colton's group for years, although there aren't imminent plans for the move. Moving the Greyhound station, which opened in 1937 at its site on Seventh Avenue, has been discussed for about 20 years.

The newest proposal hinges on Intercity Transit, which operates the downtown transit center, obtaining federal money to construct the new facility, which would be shared with Greyhound.

"I'm sure they're going to move when they get the money," Colton said.

The transit agency has secured $342,000 through U.S. Rep. Brian Baird's office, IT spokeswoman Meg Kester said. The agency requested an additional $1.85 million in February, Kester said, and she hopes to hear something by late spring.

South Sound developer Ali Raad said he has offered to buy the bus station from Greyhound so he can build a mixed-use building on the site, and he hopes to get started on it in the next two years.

A Greyhound spokeswoman last year said the company is open to the idea of relocating the station.

Spokesman Eric Wesley said Wednesday that he needs to look into the situation further before commenting.

Colton said the station is a gem. Its rounded edges exemplify streamlining, a popular design technique in the 1930s. Her dream is that the depot be saved as a restaurant or museum.

She said the city has precious few art deco buildings, such as the Armory on Eastside Street.

Raad discussed saving the facade of the building if he gets to develop the bus station lot. But Colton said the rounded edges of the existing building are what gives it its beauty.

"They can't incorporate that," she said. "They can only just take the front of the building and use it."