Just across the train tracks where State Avenue and Cherry Street converge, lies a place many civilians wouldn’t give more than a glance. With it’s faded blue paint, cracked windows, and “For Lease” sign, Olympia Glass Co. is obviously getting along in years, and appears to be one of the older buildings on the block. Facing a large fenced off plot of land located across the street, this building is retracted from the newer and busier shops on the opposite side, and appears much less popular. Though affected by both, the wear on the sidewalk and road seems to have come from age rather than human use. Weeds growing through cracks in the pavement procure minimal signs of upkeep in the last few years and this is likely due to the newer, more popular shops being set up on the other side of the block, a busier part of town just around the corner. The place has a history and I am interested in what people are missing when they choose to pass it by since it has been worn down. Located close to the East Bay Waterfront, this part of town will be experiencing the effects of climate change due to the rise in sea level earlier than many places that are predicted to be affected, and I am interested to see what effects losing this older part of the city will have on the town of Olympia. Whether it will push towards new growth, or create the desire to re-solidify the city’s history, I am curious how much effect the destruction of this place will have on the impression of this city as a whole.
