Old courthouse on Capitol Way getting $3.5 million restoration
Drivers and passersby on Capitol Way South may notice that black mesh and scaffolding now encapsulate the old Thurston County Courthouse at 11th Avenue Southwest. Behind that shroud, the 90-year-old building is getting a $3.5 million restoration.
The project is focused on the building’s exterior — interior features, such as its marble floors and grand staircase, aren’t slated for restoration.
Senior Project Manager Hamed Khalili told The Olympian that assessments revealed cracks in the exterior sandstone and that, while the building was in good structural condition, the stone wasn’t adequately connected to the structure of the building — a major concern in the event of an earthquake.
Along with anchoring the sandstone, the current restoration involves cleaning and repairing the building’s masonry and securing joints where pieces of sandstone meet, according to the state Department of Enterprise Services. Hundreds of windows and four exterior doors also will be restored during the project, Khalili said.
“You’ll notice the difference,” Jennifer Reynolds, DES Communications Manager, told The Olympian in a phone interview.
This is the first time, to Reynolds’ knowledge, Capitol Court will be restored and cleaned to this extent. She said the project fund in the 2019-20 budget is $3.5 million.
Reynolds predicts the building will be noticeably cleaner and brighter once the project is complete, similar to the stark visual transformation of the sandstone dome atop the state Legislative Building when it undergoes cleaning.
Scaffolding for the project — which is self-supported so it doesn’t attach to the historic building’s facade — started going up on Dec. 9, and should be completely up by the end of this week, Reynolds said. The black mesh is there as a safety measure for pedestrians and workers.
Officially called Capitol Court, the old courthouse was constructed in 1930 and designed by local architect Joseph Wohleb, according to DES. It’s now on the National Register of Historic Places and the Olympia Heritage Register.
Courthouse functions were moved to the county’s current complex on Lakeridge Drive Southwest in 1978. In 1989, the state partnered with Lorig Associates for a renovation to the old building that finished in 1991, according to DES.
Now, the 50,000-square-foot building is home to a variety of tenants, ranging from Puget Sound Partnership to the Office of Financial Management.
Parking and walking routes will be affected during the project, with signs directing pedestrians and drivers toward alternatives. None of the people working inside the building are being displaced during the restoration, according to Reynolds, but the project and property managers are sending weekly updates to tenants, who may decide to telecommute because of the noise.
Khalili anticipates the project will be finished by the end of spring.
This story was originally published January 29, 2020 at 5:45 AM.
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