Northwestern Improvement Company Store facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Northwestern Improvement Company Store
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Northwestern Improvement Company Store
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 Location in Washington (state)
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| Location | 1st St. and Pennsylvania Ave., Roslyn, Washington |
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| Area | 1.8 acres (0.73 ha) |
| Built | 1889 |
| NRHP reference No. | 73001881 |
| Added to NRHP | April 13, 1973 |
The Northwestern Improvement Company Store, also called the NWI Building, is a very old and important building in Roslyn, Washington. It is the only building left from when the Roslyn area was a big coal mining center. This historic building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. You might even recognize it! In the 1990s, the NWI Building was used as a filming location for the popular TV show Northern Exposure.
About the Old Store
The Northwestern Improvement Company Store was built in 1889. It was made from red bricks that were produced right there in Roslyn. The building is quite large, measuring about 284 feet (86.5 meters) long. The front of the store is about 88 feet (26.8 meters) wide, and the back is about 52 feet (15.8 meters) wide. Its walls are very thick, about 12 to 15 inches (30 to 38 centimeters).
Inside the main part of the store, the ceiling is made of special stamped metal. Outside, an old metal railing separates the building's front and its raised sidewalk from the street. Most of the windows have heavy cast iron shutters. These were used long ago to keep the building safe and to protect it from fires.
Right in front of the Northwestern Improvement Company Store, you'll find the Roslyn Miners' Memorial. This memorial includes a statue and a plaque. The plaque has the names of miners who sadly died in the Roslyn coal mines. There's also a time capsule hidden inside the statue. It is planned to be opened in the year 2046.
A Look Back in Time
This big store was built for the Northwestern Improvement Company. This company was a part of the Northern Pacific Railroad. They ran many coal mines in the Roslyn–Cle Elum Ridge area. The Northwestern Improvement Company had three stores for its workers. These were in Cle Elum, Ronald, and Roslyn. The Roslyn store was the biggest and busiest of them all.
The company store was like a modern-day shopping mall. It sold almost everything the miners and townspeople needed. You could buy food, clothes, and hardware items there. It even had a section where shoes were repaired. One woman who grew up during the mining days remembered the store well. She said it was "the forerunner of today's malls all under one roof." She added that it had "a grocery store, men and women's clothes, a shoe department, yard goods and furniture."
Miners often had the cost of their purchases taken directly from their paychecks. This made it easy for them to get what they needed. The store also had a special way to let miners know if there was work available. A lantern would be lit in the store window when work was ready.
What's There Now
After the Northwestern Improvement Company stopped its mining operations, the building became privately owned. In the 1990s, the building became famous again. It was used as the set for KBHR, the radio station in the TV show Northern Exposure. In the show, KBHR was located in a fictional town called Cicely, Alaska.
In 2008, the building was used as a furniture store. Then, in 2011, the Roslyn Downtown Association bought the building. They got some help from the state to do this. Today, the association uses the building for its offices and as a visitors' center. They also host public events there. The building also has spaces for other businesses. The association has plans to make the building even better, including safety and accessibility updates.
Over the years, many different businesses have been in the building. For example, in 2017, a company called Heritage Distilling Company opened a tasting room there. This company makes craft spirits and is mostly owned and run by women.
