Landers Building

The Landers Building stands along North Tower Avenue as one of those downtown structures that quietly carries several chapters of Centralia's commercial life within a single facade. Also known in some records as the Lindberg Building, the structure belongs to the early 20th-century building period when Tower Avenue was becoming the city's commercial spine.

When it was built, Centralia was moving from early growth into a more confident period of downtown development. Tower Avenue was no longer simply a road through town; it was becoming the center of commerce, conversation, and daily activity. Brick buildings, formal storefronts, and upper-story business or lodging spaces signaled a community investing in permanence. The Landers Building belonged to that moment. It was designed for activity at street level and usefulness above, the kind of mixed commercial building that helped downtown function from morning errands to evening foot traffic.

One of the building's most important historic tenants was F. W. Woolworth, whose presence tied the Landers Building to the rise of national five-and-dime retail in small American downtowns. Woolworth's made the building part of a broader retail culture where residents could find household goods, notions, gifts, and everyday necessities under one roof. For generations of Centralia residents, businesses like Woolworth's were woven into the routine of downtown life.

Over time, the Landers Building continued to adapt. Its storefront changed hands, its upper floors shifted in purpose, and its facade experienced the layers of alteration common to downtown buildings that never stopped being useful. Later restoration efforts helped preserve the building's historic presence, and its association with antique and collectible businesses further tied it to Centralia's identity as a heritage shopping destination.

Today, the Landers Building remains a strong example of continuity through reuse. Its story is not defined by a single tenant, but by the way it has repeatedly served the needs of downtown Centralia: first as part of a growing commercial district, then as a national retail storefront, later as an antique destination, and now as a preserved piece of the city's historic streetscape. The building's endurance reflects the larger story of Tower Avenue itself - built for commerce, reshaped by changing times, and still holding the memory of the people who passed through its doors.