What Is the Washington State Capitol?
It’s the Washington State Capitol building!
What Makes It Historical?
The capitol building is the centerpiece of grounds designed by the Olmsted Brothers, who succeeded famed landscape archtect, Frederick Law Olmsted! It was originally designed as a standalone building by Ernest Flagg, who realized his design would be too small to meet the needs of state government! Instead, a group of buildings surrounding the capitol (Temple of Justice, Insurance Building, Public Lands Building, and the Public Health-House Office Building), making this capitol complex one of the few in the nation to divvy up the government enter into a Group!
Construction of the capitol ran for four years, from 1922 until 1928, under the direction of the firm of Walter R. Wilder & Harry K. White. Faced in sandstone with the rest of the Group, this isn’t an outlandishly decorated capitol, maybe because stone cutters were in short supply during construction or because of the scandals around its funding! To protest the expense, Governor Roland Hartley took a brass spitoon from inside and drove it around the state to call attention to legislative waste. While it’s unclear if his “golden spit box” stunt did the trick, he was reelected to another term in 1928!
How Can I #HelpTheHelpers?
- Volunteer at the Washington State Capitol!
- Become a member of the Washington State Historical Society!
- Be a responsible visitor! Please respect the signs and pathways, and treat all structures and artifacts with respect. They’ve endured a lot to survive into the present. They’ll need our help to make it into the future!
How Do I Get There?
416 Sid Snyder Ave SW
Olympia, WA 98504
(Take Me There!)
When Should I Visit?
You can tour the Legislative Building Monday through Friday from 10:00 AM until 3:00 PM, and on weekends from 11:30 AM until 2:30 PM!
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