Demolition of campus building set for late December

December 17, 2012

Capitol Campus Update

OLYMPIA – The final demolition of the state-owned "IBM" building at the corner of Maple Park Avenue and Capitol Way is scheduled for Dec. 26-28.

The west wall, nearest to Capitol Way, will come down last, requiring a one-time, half-day closure of the right-hand northbound lane of Capitol Way from about Maple Park Avenue to 14th Avenue. The west wall demolition may extend to the next day, if initial work reveals unforeseen conditions, causing additional lane closures.

Demolition contractor Centennial Contractors Enterprise, Inc. will demolish the entire 14,200-square-foot structure, including the basement and foundation. The site will then be filled and grass planted on top of it.

The project also requires the temporary relocation of the Intercity Transit bus stop on Capitol Way adjacent to the IBM building to a site just south of 17th Avenue. The temporary bus stop will be used until the end of December.

Correctional Industries, the offender work-training program at the Department of Corrections, removed carpets, windows and hazardous materials last month. Some additional clean-up and prep work will take place the week of Dec. 17.

The state decided to demolish the building, which was constructed in 1958 for the IBM Corp., because of its poor condition and the excessive costs to bring it up to modern building codes.

The project is scheduled to be complete in late January 2013.