Olympia Armory gains historic status, $24M revitalization project underway
The Olympia Armory in the Eastside neighborhood has been added to the National Register of Historic Places. It’s the first city-owned building to have local, state and federal historic recognition.
According to a July 8 news release from the City of Olympia, the building is historically significant for its “direct association with board patterns of military defense and connection to Depression-era Federal relief programs.”
The Armory was completed in 1939 and is also a landmark example of late 1930s architecture and Public Works Administration (PWA) Moderne armories built around Washington.
According to the release, the building served as the headquarters of the 248th Coast Artillery unit during World War II, followed by the 2nd Battalion, 146th Field Artillery Regiment of the 81st Infantry Stryder Brigade.
“Over the last 80 years, the Armory has played host to numerous community events, sports tournaments, fundraisers, community dances, and religious gatherings,” the release says. “Today, it’s on the cusp of revitalization for another generation to enjoy as the Armory Arts Center.”
The City of Olympia is working with energy services company Ameresco to conduct an audit of the Armory and Phase 1 design and construction, which will make the building safer, more accessible and functional as a community art center.
The audit began in the spring of 2024 and construction will begin sometime in the fall. The construction project will address critical code, safety and accessibility upgrades to the building that are required before it can open.
The project received $1 million from the Heritage Capital Projects grant in 2023 and is now being awarded an additional $84,000 to continue the improvements needed to reopen.
Armory building manager Valerie Roberts previously told The Olympian it’s going to cost an estimated $24 million in total to revamp the building. She said it’ll cost $7 million to $10 million to get the building to a position where its eight arts-organization anchor partners can move into the space permanently and bring programming to people. The current timeline has them moving in sometime in 2026.
.jpg)