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Little Hollywood, Olympia, Washington

The Little Hollywood shantytown developed along Olympia’s Deschutes Estuary in the early twentieth century. The neighborhood consisted of about 100 structures—-including buildings on stilts and float houses—-that housed some of Olympia's most marginalized residents, including the formerly homeless, itinerant workers, people of color, and immigrants. In addition to homes, Little Hollywood had a few businesses, including a beauty parlor and a blacksmith shop. The shantytown was situated below the Washington State Capitol, which was finished in 1928, and its location—-alongside news stories that sensationalized area crime and a population spike during the Great Depression—-contributed to political efforts to raze the neighborhood and replace it with Capital Lake. In 1937, Washington State began buying up property along the Deschutes and displacing residents, but protests from local labor unions compelled the state to evict Little Hollywood gradually, over a several year period, instead. In 1941, the last resident was forced out and the community was demolished.