In the Spring of 1870, Northern Pacific Railroad was working on a line between Duluth, Minnesota and the Pacific Coast.  The area now known as Kalama was chosen as a western terminal site.  In preparation for the many investors and tourists interested in this new venture, a three-story hotel called the Kazano House was built at the location of the current Community Building.  Later the railroad moved its headquarters and the county seat was moved to Kalama.  In 1874 the County purchased the Kazano House for use as a courthouse.  When Kelso took the County seat away from Kalama in 1922, the old courthouse was torn down and some of the salvaged materials were used in the construction of the Community Building when it was built.

The Community Building has served the Kalama community in a variety of ways.  It has been used as the library, temporary City Hall, meeting place for the Lions Club, Girls Scouts, Chamber dinners, weddings, dances, church services, AMALAK Mother's Day Sale, and the Lion's Club Father's Day breakfast.  Kalama's many service organizations hold fundraisers so money can be used to make repairs and improvements to the beloved Community Building.

The Community Building was built in 1937 by the WPA in the same location as the old Cowlitz County Court House. This building had been built in the early 1870s by the Lake Superior and Puget Sound Company.  It was a large three-story structure and served as the Court House for 50 years.

An emergency ordinance as passed by the Town of Kalama in October of 1936 for $18,000 to purchase the five lots from the County and to assist in building the new structure. In September 1937, the Council minutes stated that a supplementary grant was being considered by the WPA to complete the building. The building measured 80 x 90 feet with a basement.  It included an auditorium which could be used for a theater or as a dance floor, a room for the City office, one for a meeting room for civic clubs, and a kitchen.  The original vault from the Court House was built into the City office. On April 6, 1938, the City accepted the donation of the library from the Kalama Women's Club and space was allowed for it in the new Community Building. The upstairs has a room where the Boy Scouts held their meetings.

The Lion's Club held their meetings in the building for many years and did their part in the upkeep and repairs. Elizabeth Boatman and Ellen Engelman cooked for their dinner meetings.  Later Kallie Basso, Anita Bills, and Marge Hahn took over this job. The Kalama Women's Club held meetings and other functions such as a flower show in the building.  Later, the AMALAK Women's Club also held the carnivals here, which they sponsored. The Firemen's Ball was a popular event held every year in November. The Strawberry festivals held their coronations in the hall when the weather didn't permit them to be held outside. The Head Start pre-school used the old library for their classroom.  Exercise classes have used the building and the Bluegrass festivals were held here for a couple years.  After the flood in 1996, the City office, library , and police used the building for a year.

After the flood in December 2015, the City offices and Police Department again relocated to the Community Building. The Kalama Police Department moved into their new building on E Frontage Rd in 2019, leaving the space set up as a "lease space" for interested renters.