Star Route and Palouse Street Brick Road

The Star Route and Palouse Street Brick Road, in Pullman, Washington, also known by the nickname Red Brick Roads are a block of NE Maple St. and a block of NE Palouse St. and together are the last remaining brick streets in the city. In the early 2010s, students in WSU's School of Design & Construction researched the history and significance of the brick roads. The course project led to listings on the Pullman Register of Historic Places and the National Register of Historic Places in 2014. The roads, paved in 1913, are important landmarks because of their connection with the Good Roads Movement. They made transportation easier along the only of the city's Star routes, providing an essential connection between the Northern Pacific Railroad depot and the growing campus of Washington State College (now known as Washington State University). The steepest part of the route to campus (which included the block of what is today NE Maple St. and NE Palouse St.) received brick paving to provide traction for horses and automobiles—particularly during the difficult winter months.