Natural Resources Building

View the Natural Resources Building on the Capitol Campus Map.

The Natural Resources Building is one of the most prominent buildings on the East Capitol Campus. It has over 387,000 square feet of office space, six stories, and three underground parking floors.

The building houses the Department of Natural Resources, the Department of Fish & Wildlife, and the Department of Agriculture.

Between 2012 and 2017, the building received a series of upgrades to repair its roof as well as its water, fire suppression, and lighting systems.

History

In September 1986, the State Capitol Committee recognized natural resource agency directors' desires to consolidate their agencies in one central location. At this point, the Department of Natural Resources occupied the John A. Cherberg Building. At the same time, the Department of Fish & Wildlife and the Department of Agriculture's headquarters were off campus.

The committee initially considered consolidating the agencies in the Highways-Licenses Building and the Capitol Court Building. However, they ultimately proposed building a new state office building on the state-owned property just east of the Capitol Court Building. The proposed building would take up the entire site, between 250,000 and 300,000 square feet, and would accommodate parking for 800 cars and 1130 state employees. This proposal solved the state government's long-term housing needs by consolidating the natural resource agencies into one location on the Capitol Campus rather than 11 locations. Then, the State Senate could use the entire John A. Cherberg Building.

The committee proposed a timeline for construction to begin on October 1, 1987, and employees to begin occupancy by December 1988. The projected cost of the project was between $45 and $57 million.

Ultimately, the Legislature didn't approve the new building until June 1989. It was part of the East Campus Plus Program, which included the Natural Resources Building on Capitol Campus, the Labor & Industries Building in Tumwater, and the Ecology headquarters in Lacey.

The Natural Resources Building was completed in 1992, costing a total of $68.8 million.