ca. 1924. Progress photograph - State Legislative (Capitol) Building. Although construction on the Legislative Building in Olympia had begun in 1923, it was not the first attempt at the creation of a new state capitol building. Ernest Flagg of New York City had won a national competition in 1894 to become the project's architect. His design called for a compact structure facing south with "rusticated" ground floor, two main floors and an attic. The dome would have a "Gilded Age" appearance. Excavation and construction of foundations and basement, of brick and exterior gray Tenino stone, followed. However, a change of administration delayed the construction of a permanent state capitol building and the legislature instead moved into the Thurston County Courthouse in downtown Olympia until 1927. The lack of space in the courthouse instigated a call for the resumption of plans to build a new state capitol building. A richer, larger scale plan was sought which would include the Temple of Justice and future buildings grouped as necessary. Only 30 entries were submitted in 1911 with another New York City twosome, Walter Robb Wilder and Harry Keith White, emerging as the winners. The Temple of Justice and Insurance Building would be completed first, in 1920 and 1921 respectively. The Legislative Building would be constructed on the site of the Flagg foundations. Pictured above ca. 1924 are the foundations and monumental steps. The stone facing is of Wilkeson stone from quarries in Pierce County; lighter in color than Tenino or Chuckanut stone, it was felt that the off-white tones with cream and pink hints would provide a warmer appearance on cold, rainy days. Durable, Wilkeson stone was available in vast quantities and would be used during the years of construction. (Johnston: Washington's Audacious State Capitol and Its Builders)

Building construction--Olympia--1920-1930; Legislative Building (Olympia);

ca. 1927. Legislative Building. Olympia's Legislative Building as seen circa 1927. This view is mainly of the right wing which included the House chambers. Both the House and Senate chambers would be finished in imported marble. The marble used in the House chamber was of French Escalette whose creamy look and blends of yellow, pink and red gave the chamber a warmer, lighter look than the more somber tones of the Senate chamber. (Johnston: Washington's Audacious State Capitol and Its Builders)

Legislative Building (Olympia);

ca. 1927. Legislative Building. Great curving walkways connected the Legislative Building with other parts of the Olympia complex. This view of the massive building focuses on the large expanse of sidewalks and includes the sight of three 1920s automobiles parked at the foot of the wide steps. Apparently after much discussion of the campus' landscaping, the clearance, grading, paving, and planting was mostly completely by 1930. (Johnston: Washington's Audacious State Capitol and Its Builders)

Legislative Building (Olympia); Sidewalks--Olympia;

ca. 1927. Legislative Building. The stately Legislative (Capitol) Building in Olympia looks complete in the above photograph taken about 1927. The building had Doric-colonnaded wings to the north and south and central colonnaded and pedimented entrance porticoes between. Its walls were thick, 12 inches of stone facing together with brick or concrete backing with an overall thickness of 2 feet, 5 inches. The large oval in front of the massive steps appears to be a lush grass lawn. (Johnston: Washington's Audacious State Capitol and Its Builders)

Legislative Building (Olympia);

ca. 1927. View of State Capitol buildings after 1925. L-R are the Insurance Building, Legislative (Capitol) Building, and the Temple of Justice. All buildings utilized Wilkeson stone, a durable sandstone, from the quarries of Pierce County. The Temple of Justice was accepted by the state in August of 1920 at a total cost of $942,230. Located east of the Legislative Building, the Insurance Building was constructed in response to the increasing office space needs of the state government. Using elements of the Roman Doric order, the Insurance Building was occupied in 1921 by a variety of state offices including the governor's office. The Insurance Building cost more than the Temple of Justice - at slightly over a million dollars. ($1,032,000.) The Legislative Building was the last of the three to be officially completed in 1928 with its total cost $7,385,768.21, including nearly $600,000 in furnishings. Landscaping of the complex would follow. (Johnston: Washington's Audacious State Capitol and Its Builders)

Legislative Building (Olympia); Insurance Building (Olympia); Temple of Justice (Olympia);

ca. 1927. Legislative Building. The most complex structural element was the building's dome. Possibly the fourth highest dome in the world, the dome was one of the last great self-supporting masonry domes built. New York City architects Walter Wilder and Harry White envisioned the creation of three domes, blending them into a structure 176 feet above a base 102 feet above the ground. The overall height of the dome would be 278 feet, resting on a 130-foot monolith foundation of concrete and steel which supported four massive corner piers. Topping-out ceremonies, in which the final stone was set into place on the lantern, occurred on October 13, 1926. (Johnston: Washington's Audacious State Capitol and Its Builders)

Legislative Building (Olympia);

ca. 1927. Interior of rotunda - Legislative Building. This view of the rotunda's interior was believed to have been taken shortly after its completion. The rotunda was located directly beneath the Legislative Building's dome. After much discussion, it was decided not to use all marble in the interior of the rotunda but to use plaster as the interior finish. Besides the cost, it was felt that the presence of too much marble would make it too austere. The marble that was used in the rotunda was from Alaska with its light gray tones; the same was used in entrances, staircases and corridors. Richer, more expensive imported marble would be utilized in the legislative chambers and in the state reception room. (Johnston: Washington's Audacious State Capitol and Its Builders)

Legislative Building (Olympia); Rotundas--Olympia;