Olympia Armory Storytelling Project reveals building’s history as a community space
After decades of work and planning, the historic Olympia Armory building will soon be under the control of the City of Olympia, which will convert it to a Creative Campus space.
But the building comes with years of history already, and the Olympia Historical Society and Bigelow House Museum are partnering with the Washington Army National Guard and the city of Olympia as well as other groups to compile stories, photos and more of the building through the Olympia Armory Storytelling project.
The groups are asking anyone with stories, photos or remembrances of the armory building to fill out an online form to share their piece of the building’s history. All items will be collected, curated and published online in a gallery for people to enjoy.
Submissions are being taken until March 31, and can be submitted through the online form or by email at olyhistory@gmail.com.
Greg Griffith with the Olympia Historical Society and Bigelow House Museum said the storytelling project is a way to recognize and honor the building’s role in the community as well as the national guard’s role in the city of Olympia since the beginning of the 20th century.
Griffith said the most revealing stories so far have shown how the building has always played a role in the community as a whole.
“It wasn’t just for national guard recruitment and training, it was a local community center,” he said. “In a real tangible way, it shows that it was always a community center from the very beginning.”
Photos in the gallery show car shows, job fairs, basketball games and inaugural balls playing out within the walls of the armory building.
Griffith said the historical society wants to preserve tangible evidence of the building’s past so it can serve as a blueprint and a reminder for the future.
Though the vision of the Creative Campus is far from complete, Griffith said he’s excited for the transformation of the building. Many Olympia residents have submitted suggestions for what the space could contain, including workshops, artist live-work spaces, performance capabilities, exhibits and more.
“It’s great to see that the building will be preserved and reused for purposes that have great community support,” he said.
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