Capitol Court Building

View the Capitol Court Building on the Capitol Campus Map.

The Capitol Court Building currently houses the Allied Daily Newspaper of Washington, Capitol Security, Caseload Forecast Council, Citizens' Commission on Salaries for Elected Officials, Commission on African American Affairs, Commission on Asian Pacific-American Affairs, Commission of Hispanic Affairs, Commission on Judicial Conduct, Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, DES Office of Parking Services, Office of Indian Affairs, Office of Minority & Women's Business Enterprises, and Washington Indian Gaming Association. Personnel Resource Board hearings are also held in the Capitol Court Building.

History

Thurston County had no permanent government buildings in its early years, so it had several courthouses. In 1861, the Puget Sound Wesleyan Institute vacated its building at the corner of Union Avenue and Washington Street for the county to use as a courthouse. In 1875, Thurston County traded that property for another school building at the corner of Legion Way and Franklin to be closer to downtown Olympia.

In 1890, the Thurston County Commission hired architect Willis A. Ritchie to design a new courthouse, which would become the state's capitol building (now known as the Old Capitol Building) in 1905. In 1928, the State legislative and executive offices moved to the new Legislative Building, but the courthouse was still too small for the various offices that remained.

The commission listed numerous reasons for the need for—yet again—a new courthouse, including the increased need for additional courtrooms, lack of space for various county offices, and increased provision for juries.

On March 25, 1929, the commissioners selected Joseph Wohleb to design the new Thurston County Courthouse at the southeast corner of the intersection at Capitol Way and 11th Avenue. The design and construction of the new courthouse coincided with the Olmsted Brothers' landscaping work on the Capitol grounds just across Capitol Way.

Work began on the new county courthouse around the completion of the first three monumental buildings on the Capitol Campus: the Temple of Justice, the Insurance Building, and the Legislative Building. These buildings' scale, materials, and classical design set a precedent for other government buildings in the area. Wohleb's courthouse design continued the trend with his use of scale and materials, but he shifted towards a modern aesthetic by employing the art deco style. The new courthouse's design stands as one of Wohleb's earliest uses of art deco. After designing the Capitol Court Building, Wohleb went on to design three buildings on West Capitol Campus, just across the street: the Irving R. Newhouse Building, the John A. Cherberg Building, and the John L. O'Brien Building.

Construction was finished in 1930, and the project cost $350,000. Although it reached capacity by the 1940s, this building housed the county's courthouse and government offices for the next four decades.

Thurston County began planning for a second building immediately adjacent to it. In February 1950, the County Commissioners met with county officials to discuss the construction of a new building, named the Courthouse Annex, to house the Health, Welfare, Juvenile, and Agricultural departments. The county again hired Joseph Wohleb, now partnered with his son, Robert Wohleb, to design the new building. However, the county failed to purchase the adjacent property, ending the future expansion plans. Ultimately, the State acquired the property as it planned its own Capitol Campus expansion.

In 1967, Thurston County established a citizens' committee called the Thurston County Courthouse Building Needs Committee to assess the courthouse situation. This citizens' committee recommended the construction of a new courthouse complex either downtown near Olympia City Hall or on the west side of Olympia.

In 1972, the State expressed its desire to acquire the Thurston County Courthouse property due to its prime location next to Capitol Campus. Then, in 1973, the State purchased the building for $2 million, and it became the Capitol Court Building. As the county searched for a new courthouse between 1973 and 1977, the state allowed them to remain in the building until they sorted out their new location. By 1978, when the county relocated to its new facility, the Capitol Court Building was largely vacant.

In 1979, the State proposed to demolish the Capitol Court Building but faced significant backlash. Olympia residents petitioned the State Capitol Committee to renovate the building rather than destroy it. Despite this petition, the three-member committee comprised of Governor Dixy Lee Ray, Lt. Governor John Cherberg, and Commissioner of Public Lands Bert Cole, voted two-to-one to demolish the building, with Cherberg against the demolition. Meanwhile, the Capitol Court Building became part of the National Register of Historic Places on July 23, 1981. The building remains standing today.

After this period of uncertainty, private businesses and occasionally state legislators leased office space in the building from the State. By 1995, government agencies, such as the offices of the State Attorney General and non-governmental offices, occupied the building.