24: Improvement Block – 1891, 486-492 North Market Boulevard

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When the Chehalis Improvement Company sought to shift the downtown to Market from Main, this building was their first venture – called the Improvement Block when completed in 1891 in the Romanesque Revival style. The larger side (486) housed Proffitt’s Department Store, a People’s store, and then Coast-to-Coast Hardware. The smaller side (492) housed Gem Drug Store, Doane’s Drug Store, and then Dugaw’s Jewelry. It survives today as the oldest commercial structure in Chehalis.