Free Little Libraries - Palouse, WA

Little Free Library was established in 2009 and is a program whose motto is “take a book, return a book.” To date, Little Free Library has built 15,000 libraries in 62 countries. This is a non-profit organization whose goal is to inspire learning in people of all ages. This goal is accomplished by filling the little library with donated books and then placing the little library in a central location of a town so that people will walk by and see it. Then, when someone takes a book they should exchange it with another book of their own. This model will work perfectly in a small town like Palouse because it will allow pepole to have access to books at all times, even if the main library is closed. 

Small But Mighty

The town of LaCrosse, WA may be small and located in a rural area, but it still has everything that any town would need to thrive. By studying the demographics of this town it allowed me to have a better understanding of the town and the community's needs so as to best design the rock houses to suit their needs.

Bed & Breakfast Case Studies

 These two small bed and breakfasts located in the greater area of the Palouse are great examples of small town bed and breakfasts and how a small business can thrive even in a small community. They are run locally and cater not only to people in the surrounding area but also consistently to people traveling from outside areas. These bed and breakfasts offer reasonable prices and an alternative to staying in one of the larger hotels in the area.

By studying these two establishments it gave me a better understanding of the components required to make a small town business run successfully. I was able to apply some of the concepts that I gathered from my research to the LaCrosse Rock Houses that I designed to be a bed and breakfast.

Integrating Community Through Rural Hospitality

The small rural town of LaCrosse, WA is a place full of people who have the desire to make their town better, and have the unique opportunity of doing so through the redesign of the old basalt rock houses located near the entrance of the town. This cluster of small houses has been abandoned for many years and may look completely run down to the naked eye, but with the help of LaCrosse Community Pride (LCP) and the help of motivated community members, these houses can be restored to their former glory and provide function for the town. One option for the houses is to utilize them as a bed and breakfast. This option will entice outside guests to come into the town and will not only bring income to the bed and breakfast, but will also help to support local businesses. By creating the bed and breakfast it will become a part of the community rather than a separate entity and will enhance the strong family and community values that the town already exemplifies.