Renovation of Capitol begins

Associated Press

OLYMPIA — With the strains of the "Star-Spangled Banner" echoing around the Capitol’s 5-ton Tiffany chandelier, state government officially abandoned the historic structure Monday, making way for a two-year, $100 million renovation.

The 75-year-old building — formally known as the Legislative Building — was damaged in last year’s earthquake, but the project had been in the works long before then. Workers will repair failing plumbing, electrical and ventilation systems, while upgrading communication, safety and access equipment to modern standards.

Calling the building "an architectural symbol of our free and open government," Washington Supreme Court Chief Justice Gerry Alexander praised both the building’s spectacular design and its function as the seat of state government.

"More important than the brick and mortar of the building is the fact that it has been the site of so much of our state’s history," Alexander said.

But history — or at least the passage of time — has taken its toll on the building. The roof and walls leak and the sandstone exterior is eroding. Its design predates modern telecommunications and the Americans With Disabilities Act.

Then last year’s earthquake worsened matters, including shifting the massive columns that support the dome. Protective scaffolding has sheathed the dome ever since.

But emptying the building was no easy feat. Marsha Tadano Long, the retired director of the Department of General Administration, recalls her reaction to the idea of renovating the building.

"I think my words were: ‘Do we have to do this?’" Long said.

Closing the Capitol for two years involved displacing Gov. Gary Locke, Secretary of State Sam Reed, Lt. Gov. Brad Owen, State Auditor Brian Sonntag and two entire sessions of the Legislature.

In turn, Locke ousted the insurance commissioner; the Senate booted the state library and the House built a temporary hall from modular equipment. Reed and Sonntag and their staffs moved into private office space.

Alexander and his fellow Supreme Court justices won’t be moving. They’ll have front-row seats for the renovation from the comfort of the Temple of Justice.

Olympia also loses one of its major tourist attractions. The Capitol draws thousands of visitors each year.

The basic $91 million for rehabilitation will come from bonds backed by state timber lands that are exclusively set aside to maintain the Capitol campus.

Another $10 million for earthquake repair comes from federal disaster money and the state’s emergency management division.

At the end of Monday’s ceremony, Pat McLain, General Administration’s project manager, signed an order for the project to begin.

"You are good to go," McLain told David Mortenson of the MA Mortenson Co. of Minneapolis, the general contractor.

"We really know what pressure is with three branches of government looking down on us," Mortenson said.

Associated Press