About the Joel Pritchard State Library

View the Joel Pritchard State Library on the Capitol Campus Map.

Six individuals from the Legislative Campus Modernization (LCM) Project team with reflective vests and hardhats are smiling while shoveling dirt at the Joel M. Pritchard construction site. Part of the Prichard, Legislative, and Cherberg buildings are visible in the background.
The LCM Project team at the Pritchard Rehabilitation and Expansion groundbreaking ceremony, 2024.

In June 2024, the Department of Enterprise Services (DES) demolished the building's historic book stacks to prepare for construction as part of the Legislative Campus Modernization (LCM) Project.

On September 20, 2024, DES held a groundbreaking ceremony for the Pritchard Rehabilitation and Expansion Project, which will go on until July 2026. To learn more about the project, subscribe to the LCM weekly update newsletter.

History

The State Library is Washington state's oldest executive agency, predating statehood by more than 35 years. It started as a readily accessible place for records and documents for the State Legislature, similar to the relationship between the Library of Congress and the U.S. Congress. For its first 100 years, the State Library operated invisible to most Capitol visitors as it constantly moved locations.

The State Library was initially located in the first wooden Capitol building and then relocated to downtown Olympia. By 1906, it moved into the Old Capitol Building, where it shared space with the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. In 1917, it moved into the basement of the Temple of Justice, where it stayed for the next 40 years.

The State Library quickly outgrew its underground home. With all the State's key documents and records stuffed into 17 square feet of space, stacked on steam pipes and stuffed into heating system closets, it became evident that a proper library building should be built.

Architects Walter R. Wilder and Harry K. White originally included the State Library in the plans for the Legislative Building. However, by the time they completed the building in 1928, the Automobile-License Department had greatly expanded and needed the space. Meanwhile, the State considered using the Old Capitol Building again. However, it was too far from legislators who needed access to the State Library's records.

In 1941, the formation of the State Library Commission (SLC) became the first substantial step toward a permanent, dedicated building for the Washington State Library. By 1951, the commission successfully received budgetary consideration for the project. The new building would house the State Library, the Public Printer, and other departments that leased space in private buildings.

In March 1955, the Legislature authorized the construction of a new state office building and a new State Library. However, a few conflicts stalled the project for two years. Newman Clark, a library opponent, added an amendment to the authorization, confusing the two buildings. In addition, the State Capitol Committee could not decide how to finance the project, and there were disputes over its location.

In March 1957, Governor Rosellini, a member of the State Capitol Committee, expedited the State Library building's passage through both Chambers without a dissenting vote and approved construction. This was the new committee's first official act.

A black and white image of a construction crew working on an excavated site. Two houses and large evergreen trees are visible in the background.
The Joel Pritchard State Library construction site, 1958. Photo from Washington State Archives.

The committee chose Seattle architect Paul Thiry for the project in 1955. Thiry's idea was to complete the Wilder and White master plan and the Olmsted Brothers' landscape plans for the Capitol group.

On May 21, 1956, the State Capitol Committee authorized Thiry to have his preferred site just south of the Capitol group. Thiry imagined a monumental building reflecting the Legislative Building's classical design that stands equal among the nearby John A. Cherberg Building and John L. O'Brien Building. Thiry's site planning ideas updated Wilder and White's master plan for the Capitol Campus, closing the gap between the John A. Cherberg Building and John L. O'Brien Building. This change to the master plan sparked thoughts about where to build government buildings once the Capitol group was complete.

By May 14, 1957, the State Capitol Committee, SLC, and State Librarian accepted and authorized Thiry's construction plans. Construction began on November 4, 1957, and the groundbreaking ceremony occurred the next day.

The Joel Pritchard State Library, completed on November 15, 1958, cost $1.3 million. In January 1959, it became the State Library's dedicated quarters. It took ten days to move the State Library's collection from the Temple of Justice's basement into the new building.

A black and white image of the front side of the Pritchard Building from the plaza across the street. A stone pathway and stairs lined with small shrubs lead up to the building's entrance.
Joel Pritchard State Library, 1961. Photo from Washington State Archives.

The Joel Pritchard State Library's location and architectural composition expressed the significance of the State Library's supportive role within the Washington state government. Compared to the Temple of Justice, which occupies a "place of importance" on the north side of the Legislative Building, Thiry determined the State Library should have "equal importance" visually and functionally.

As the last monumental building built at the time, the Joel Pritchard State Library completed the historic West Capitol Campus and started the beginnings of East Capitol Campus planning. It introduced the need for expanded thinking about where future government buildings should be placed and how Capitol Campus would grow beyond the formal Capitol group.