Washington State Capitol
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Washington State Capitol Historic District
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| Location | 416 Sid Snyder Avenue SW, Olympia, Washington 98504 |
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| Coordinates | 47°02′09″N 122°54′17″W / 47.03583°N 122.90472°WCoordinates: 47°02′09″N 122°54′17″W / 47.03583°N 122.90472°W |
| Area | 230,400 ft2 (21,404 m2) |
| Built | 1922 to 1928 |
| Architect | Walter R. Wilder, Harry K. White |
| Architectural style | American Neoclassical |
| NRHP Reference # | 79002564 |
| Added to NRHP | June 22, 1979 |
The Washington State Capitol or Legislative Building in Olympia is the home of the government of the state of Washington. It contains chambers for the Washington State Legislature and offices for the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state and treasurer and is part of a campus consisting of several buildings. Buildings for the Washington Supreme Court, executive agencies and the Washington Governor's Mansion are part of the capitol campus.
After Olympia became capital city of the Washington Territory in 1853, the city's founder, Edmund Sylvester, gave the legislature 12 acres (4.9 ha) of land upon which to build the capitol, located on a hill overlooking what is now known as Capitol Lake. A two-story wood-frame building was constructed on the site, where the legislature met starting in 1854. When President Benjamin Harrison approved Washington's state constitution in 1889, he donated 132,000 acres (530 km2) of federal lands to the state with the stipulation that income from the lands was to be used solely for construction of the state capitol.
The legislature formed the State Capitol Commission in 1893 to oversee the creation of a new capitol on the property in Olympia. The commission had a nationwide competition to find an architect and chose the submission of Ernest Flagg. Construction began on Flagg's plan, but was soon stalled by poor economic conditions with only the foundation completed. When the legislature finally approved an appropriation of additional funds in 1897, newly elected Governor John Rogers vetoed it. Rogers advocated the purchase of the existing Thurston County Courthouse in downtown Olympia, now known as the "Old Capitol" and home to the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. The legislature approved the new location and began meeting there in 1905.
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