‘Better than before’: WA reopens historic Capitol campus building

More than two years of construction and $131 million later, a historic building on the Washington state Capitol campus is reopening. 

A cadre of top state officials cut the ribbon and welcomed the public into the transformed Joel Pritchard Building on the south side of campus Thursday afternoon. 

Lt. Gov. Denny Heck said the 77,000-square-foot building wasn’t just expanded but built “better than before.” It faces the Capitol Dome with legislative office buildings on each side.

“It is truly magnificent,” Heck said.

This marks the latest step in the modernization of the Capitol campus, which has included the tear-down and rebuild of the Irving R. Newhouse Building, which houses Senate Republicans, and renovation of the John L. O’Brien Building, home to many state House members. The O’Brien Building work is set to wrap up in the coming months. The General Administration Building on the north side was demolished this summer, and skylights are coming back to the Capitol building.

The Pritchard Building, designed by architect Paul Thiry, joined the Capitol campus in 1958, the last addition to the Olmsted Brothers-designed grounds. It cost $1.3 million to build, at the time. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015.

For decades, the building served as the Washington State Library until the 2001 Nisqually Earthquake underscored seismic risks. The earthquake damaged the building, leading the state to relocate its library collection to a Tumwater facility. 

For years, most of the building served as an empty, windowless former book-storage facility. The massive renovation is meant to turn it into a bright legislative workspace.

There had been talks of demolishing the building, but instead it was restored and expanded.

“I think as we celebrate today, we made the right choice,” said Rep. Steve Tharinger, D-Port Townsend, who is chair of the House Capital Budget Committee.

Construction started in March 2024. The state appropriated over $131 million for the project.

The facade looks much the same, but the construction added a new wing with offices for some state House members. Staff from the state Office of the Code Reviser and Legislative Technology are getting new work spaces. Tenants will move into the building next month. There will also be a new cafe.

And the historic Washington Room was restored, including the 117-foot-long, somewhat abstract mural by artist Kenneth Callahan that adorned the walls when the building opened. The four-paneled, 360-degree mural depicts the arc of humanity, from its primitive start to modern day. It was transported to New York for refurbishment before returning to the Washington Room.

The Du Pen Fountain outside will flow with water again soon. A James Fitzgerald mosaic and Mark Tobey painting remain inside.

The work also included stabilization of the steep hillside next to the building that leads down to the banks of Capitol Lake. This involved driving many concrete columns deep in the ground to support the building, Tharinger said.

The building is named for the state’s former two-term Republican lieutenant governor. Pritchard also served in Congress and the state Legislature, and is considered the “Father of Pickleball” for inventing the sport with friends in the 1960s. Gov. Bob Ferguson said his parents were active in Republican circles campaigning for Pritchard’s runs for elective office.

“The thing about Joel is, almost unfortunately, he’s better known as the inventor of pickleball,” Heck said, “which I think overshadows what a significant contribution he’s made to our state, what a magnificent public servant he was.”