Pomeroy Washington Downtown National Historic District
The Knettle Building, photographed in 2021
Historic District Downtown Building Inventory
The Knettle Building/The Fair (Site ID 33)
Current address: 856 Main Street
1953 address: 955 Main street
Classification: Historic Contributing
Early street scene photographs indicate that this building was occupied by The Fair, a clothing store, as early as 1906. By 1922, the structure housed a billiards parlor and dry goods store, and by 1930, a restaurant. The building housed the Palace of Sweets in the 1940s. Later uses of the building include Obenland's Appliances, offices for the U.S. Forest Service, and Ram's Auto Store (Western Auto), and Human Services of Garfield County. The building is currently occupied by Quality Behaviorial Health of Clarkston.
Constructed around 1904, the Knettle Building is built of rough face ashlar stone laid in a broken range pattern. The subject building and the Knettle Bank Building to the west are the only stone buildings in downtown.
Description and much of the Cultural Data based on
research by Donovan & Associates
Looking at both Knettle Buildings you can see the beauty of the stone. (Yes, this is the same photo as at the top of The Knettle Bank Building.)
From the 1966 Christmas advertising special of the East Washingtonian
From the December, 1973, Christmas advertising special of the East Washingtonian
From 7/10/1980 East Washingtonian:
Human Services board selects Main Street site
Members of the Human Services Board last Wednesday night decided on a site for a proposed mental health and developmental disabilities care facility for Pomeroy, and also said they found no problems with the draft of the funding application.
Committee members were presented with several proposals, and then they discussed the benefits and deficiencies of several sites, before voting in favor of the Western Auto building. Carolyn Burns summarized the reasons when she said the building would be relatively easy to remodel, appears to have a good roof, has a new furnace, would not require any yard work, has access from both the front and rear, and some parking is available.
A draft of a proposed application for funding was presented at the last meeting by John Karlson of Moscow, who is in charge of program development for the county mental health program. Board members said they found it to be very well done. Information on the building, including rough estimated costs of purchase and renovation, need to be added by this Wednesday night. This was the date set for the next adoption of the plan, instead of Monday, the normal meeting night. The meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at the Christian Church, with the proposal to be presented to the board of commissioners later in the evening.
The commissioners, who will be meeting as the board of equalization, said they would not adjourn Monday's meeting, so they could sign the proposal Wednesday night, if accepted. Otherwise, they said, they could meet during the week of July 14, even though no meeting is scheduled.
Open house
An open house was held Friday at the new Human Services office on Main Street, which is located in the remodeled Western Auto building. Human service director John Karlson was caught looking over some papers.
-- January, 1983, East Washingtonian
Wandering Pomeroy's Main Street
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The Committee gratefully acknowledges donations of time, photographs, scans, and other
assistance from the Garfield County Museum and individual citizens of Pomeroy and Garfield County.
The Pomeroy Historic Preservation Committee
66 South 7th Street
Pomeroy WA 99347
Copyright © 2002-2021 John R. Gordon