Closures of Old Capitol Building entrances coming Jan. 21-24

There will be brief closures of entrances to the Old Capitol Building in downtown Olympia from Jan. 21 to Jan. 24 while a consultant hired by Enterprise Services examines the exterior of the building.

Peter Meijer Architect, a Portland firm that specializes in historic building work, will use an 85-foot lift to inspect roofs, walls and windows.

The work will begin on the west side of the building then move in a counter-clockwise direction each day. Caution tape and safety cones will be set up around closed doorways.

The exterior inspection is the first step of a $600,000 repair project tentatively scheduled to begin later this year. Rainwater has been seeping into the building for several years through deteriorated joints between the sandstone blocks that form the exterior walls.

The lift will occasionally be parked on the street so the firm can reach different sections of the building. Enterprise Services is coordinating parking space closures with the city of Olympia and the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, the building tenant.

The building opened 1892 as the Thurston County courthouse. The state purchased it in 1902 for use as the state capitol building. The Legislature met there until the completion of the current Capitol Building, officially known as the Legislative Building, in 1928. The Old Capitol Building currently serves as the headquarters for the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

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