The Old Capitol Building is a building in Olympia

Olympia, Washington

Olympia is the capital city of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat of Thurston County. It was incorporated on January 28, 1859. The population was 46,478 at the 2010 census...

, Washington. Designed by Willis A. Ritchie, it was built 1890–1892 as the Thurston County Courthouse, and served 1905–1928 as the state capitol, seat of the legislature

Legislature

A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...

 of Washington; in 1928 the legislature moved to the current Capitol Building

Washington State Capitol

The Washington State Capitol or Legislative Building in Olympia is the home of the government of the state of Washington. It contains chambers for the Washington State Legislature and offices for the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state and treasurer and is part of a campus consisting...

. It is now the office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction

Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction

The Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, or OSPI is the state education agency for the State of Washington. The agency is bound by the Washington State Legislature to implement state laws regarding education, including the 1993 education reform act which mandated the...

.

The building has survived several disasters, after each of which it has been repaired. A fire in 1928 resulted in the loss of a central tower.

See also

• State department of education
• National Register of Historic Places

External links

• About us, Superintendent of Public Instruction: Information on the Old State Capitol Building