Washington State Capitol Conservatory

Washington State Capitol Conservatory
Former conservatory with sunken gardens in the foreground.
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Former names	Washington State Capitol Greenhouse
General information
Type	Greenhouse
Location	Washington State Capitol campus
Address	1115 Water Street
Town or city	Olympia, Washington
Country	United States
Coordinates	47°02′16″N122°54′13″W / 47.0377°N 122.9037°W / 47.0377; -122.9037
Construction started	1938
Opened	1939
Renovated	1976
Closed	2008
Cost	$25,000
Owner	State of Washington Department of Enterprise Services
Technical details
Floor count	2
Floor area	11,300 sq ft (1,050 m2) incl. basement shops
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Joseph Wohleb
References
Some building structural data from State of Washington DES [1]

The Washington State Capitol Conservatory was a greenhouse on the grounds of the Washington State Capitol in Olympia, Washington. It was funded $25,000 in 1938, designed by architect Joseph Wohleb, and built in 1939 as a Works Project Administration project. ^[2]

In the 1990s, the greenhouse was noted to have foundation damage from soil settling of up to 65-foot (20 m) deep fill on which it was built. ^[3] A 1995 report indicated that there was fear of a landslide causing catastrophe to the building, built next to a steep ravine where "a number of springs and wet areas were observed" (Olympia is noted for both its rainy climate and its artesian springs). ^[3] Heritage Park's hillside trail climbs from Capitol Lake to a landing containing the Law Enforcement Memorial, adjacent to the conservatory. ^[4]

Due to safety concerns stemming from the settling, the conservatory was closed in 2008 ^[5] and the building was demolished between 2020 and 2021. ^[6] For a time it was used to store the Chief Shelton Story Pole (totem pole) after it was taken down in 2010. ^[7]

Until its closure, it was open to the public and was an attraction for visitors to the State Capitol. ^{[8] [9]}

Capitol gardens

The gardens and grounds at the Capitol campus were filled with plants grown in the conservatory. Over 70,000 flowers and plants each year were grown there in the 1950s. ^[2]

• 
  Sunken garden outside the conservatory (looking south towards Insurance Building and State Capitol)
• 
  Sunken gardens in 1938

References

1. Capitol Conservatory building factsheet (PDF), State of Washington Department of Enterprise Services
2. Jennifer Crooks (October 22, 2017), "Changing Seasons: A History of the State Capitol Campus Conservatory", Thurston Talk
3. Stephen P. Palmer; Wendy J. Gerstel (January 19, 1995), Capitol Campus Greenhouse Soil Stability Investigation Status Report (PDF), Washington Department of Natural Resources Geology and Earth Resources Division
4. Capitol campus map (PDF), Washington State Legislature
5. HISTORIC CAPITOL CAMPUS CONSERVATORY CLOSES SEPT. 5 (press release), Washington State Department of General Administration, September 3, 2008, archived from the original on February 23, 2018 – via HighBeam
6. "Capitol Conservatory". Department of Enterprise Services. 2020-08-24. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
7. Lynda V. Mapes (April 27, 2011), "The next chapter for old story pole yet to be written.", The Seattle Times, archived from the original on February 23, 2018 – via HighBeam
8. Leson & Irving 1996, p. 354.
9. Don Jenkins (January 9, 2005), "Capitol dome reopens; campus open to public", The Columbian, Vancouver, Washington, archived from the original on February 23, 2018 – via HighBeam

Sources

• Leson, Nancy; Irving, Stephanie (1996). Seattle Best Places: The Most Discriminating Guide to Seattle's Restaurants, Shops, Hotels, Nightlife, Arts, Sights, and Outings. Best Places Guidebooks. Sasquatch Books. ISBN   978-1-57061-055-4 . Retrieved 2018-02-22.

External links

• Media related to Washington State Capitol Conservatory at Wikimedia Commons