Employment Security Building

The Employment Security Building is part of the development project that began the eastward expansion of Capitol Campus in the early 1960s.

A view of the Employment Security Department Building entrance from the southwest. The three-story building is made of white and brown stone, and the walkway leading to the entrance is lined with green trees and flowering bushes.

About the Employment Security Building

View the Employment Security Building on the Capitol Campus Map.

The Employment Security Building is one of the first buildings constructed on the East Capitol Campus. It sits at the south end of the East Capitol Campus plaza, facing Maple Park Drive. The building houses the Washington State Employment Security Department.

Like the historic West Capitol Campus, the buildings and landscapes on the East Capitol Campus and landscapes follow a general design style to create a cohesive look and feel. East Capitol Campus mirrors West Capitol Campus with its open lawn and clear paths surrounded by large buildings. One state employee said, “Capitol Campus is like an open picture book, with Capitol Way as the spine. The left and right pages offer very different viewing experiences.”

History

In 1954, the Washington State Supreme Court ruled that all state agencies should be headquartered in Olympia. Upon completing the Joel Pritchard State Library in 1958, the state government had no more space for new buildings on the West Capitol Campus, prompting the state to expand the Capitol Campus.

In 1958, Paul Thiry, architect of the Joel Pritchard State Library, designed a campus extension covering 48.5 acres on the east side of Capitol Way. At the time, the proposed area consisted of apartments, houses, and Olympia High School. The Legislature approved Thiry’s idea and purchased the property shortly after.

A black and white image of the front side of the Employment Security Building taken from across the street. Multiple trees line the street in front of the building, and a black car sits at a stop light at the corner of the building. — Employment Security Building, 1978. Photo from Washington State Archives.

In 1962, the first development projects on the East Capitol Campus, the Employment Security Building and the Highways-Licenses Building, brought a very different architectural style to the Capitol Campus. Seattle architectural firm Harmon, Pray and Detrich designed the two buildings, with their placement straying away from Thiry’s proposed row of buildings lining the southern end of the plaza.

The 91,000-square-foot Employment Security Building cost $1.8 million to build.