In 1890, Washington State made decisions on where to have the State Capitol, the Penitentiary and the State Fair. Yakima received the State Fair. In 1893, $10,000 was used to build a grandstand, exhibition hall, 100 horse stalls and a three-story judge’s stand. A racetrack, thought to be the fastest racetrack on the West Coast, was also constructed. Within three years the first set of buildings all burned to the ground but larger and finer buildings were constructed over the next several years. Surprisingly a total of sixteen buildings are still in use today.

The Central Washington State Fair Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. All maintenance and repairs on the Park’s grounds and buildings are paid through fund raising events such as the CW State Fair, facility rentals and a wide variety of community events including Sunshine & Wine.

The Modern Living Building at State Fair Park was built in 1938 and was originally called the 4-H Building. It had a dome roof, 2 large dormitories and a caretaker’s apartment. Today, over 100,000 people use this building each year for every kind of event from weddings and reunions to antique and pet shows.

This year the Modern Living Building will have the exterior boards repaired and painted. Other future projects include renovating the bathrooms and installing air conditioning.

Pioneer Hall was built in the summer of 1927. It’s the building at State Fair Park with the big white columns. During the 1940s this building featured displays for women including a crochet contest entitled “Lady Nimble Fingers”. The grand prize of $5 went to the lady who could crochet the most in 40 minutes. A big attraction in 1941 was the “famous new army vehicle” better known as the Jeep.

This building had a few unique features such as an interior water fountain and a large expanse of original skylights. Although the fountain is gone, the skylights are still in place today.

Few changes have been made to this building in the last 25-40 years. This building needs substantial repairs and renovations to the exterior and interior including electrical, HVAC and plumbing systems.

The Agriculture Building,”granddaddy” of 16 historical buildings at State Fair Park was constructed in 1907. It was designed with over 16,000 original square feet and the first steel truss in Yakima. Over the next decade the building grew to almost 40,000 square feet. Now this building is home to photo and Grange exhibits during the Central Washington State Fair, but during World War II, it was used by the Army Air Force to help with the war effort. The soldiers bunked upstairs and downstairs. The main part of the building became a basketball gym and the Army used the grassy area between the Ag building and the Sundome as its parade ground.

The Agriculture Building needs exterior paint and repair of the siding and ornamentation. The bathrooms need upgrades and repair. The last major renovation occurred in 1973 when the electrical system was updated to 1973 code.