About the James M. Dolliver Building

View the James M. Dolliver Building on the Capitol Campus Map.

The James M. Dolliver Building, formerly the Olympia Post Office and the Federal Building, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the Olympia Heritage Register.

Its exterior is made of Tenino sandstone and follows the neo-classical style reminiscent of the Temple of Justice, built around the same time.

The building, located between downtown Olympia and the heart of the Capitol Campus, houses offices for the Secretary of State.

History

A black and white image of the front of the old Olympia Hotel, which is four stories tall with a tall tower in the center. An American Flag waves at the top of the tower, and a horse carriage is parked in front of the hotel.
The Olympia Hotel, ca. 1900. Photo from Washington State Archives.

Built in 1914 as the Olympia Post Office, the building originally served as the city's hub of communications and commerce.

The building sits on the site of an old Olympia hotel, built in 1890. The hotel served as a common meeting place for Washington governors and legislators. The hotel burned down in 1904, leveling the site entirely.

A few years after the fire, architect James Taylor began construction of the post office building. Taylor handed off the project to architect Oscar Wenderoth, who completed the project in 1914. The total construction cost was $120,227.

In January 1915, the City of Olympia dedicated the new building as its Post Office Building. When the building first opened, people considered even its revolving doors high-tech.

A black and white image of the Dolliver Building's construction site. Wooden framework stands on a concrete foundation covered in rainwater, with construction workers visible throughout the site.
James M. Dolliver Building (then the Olympia Post Office Building) under construction, 1912. Photo from Washington State Archives.

For nearly 50 years, it was a communications center for the growing state Capitol, bringing in mail from various cities in the Puget Sound area.

In 1964, a newer post office building was built in Olympia. After the post office moved, the building served as a federal office building. It was called the Federal Building for the next 34 years.

While owned by the federal government, the building housed offices for the U.S. Congress, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the U.S. Selective Service Board.

In 1991, the building closed and was vacant for several years. Then, in 1998, the federal government gave the building to the state for free, as it trusted the state would "always maintain its historic character." The state renamed the building in honor of Washington Supreme Court Justice James M. Dolliver, who served a long and distinguished career in local, state and federal government.

The state renovated the building in 1999 and was ready for occupancy by October 2000. The Washington State Department of General Administration, now the Department of Enterprise Services (DES), led the renovation project, which involved making seismic upgrades, restoring the original high ceilings, refinishing the interior's original wood and brass hardware, and adding an ADA-accessible ramp to the exterior. Most of the changes happened on the first floor and exterior; the second floor remains virtually untouched.