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Building Projects
Current Projects
- In progress – Multiple window/roof leaks – Repairs anticipated in April.
Past Projects
- 1929 – One-story rear addition added to provide work room area.
- 1964 – Aluminum windows replaced the original wood-framed windows. Steps to northern entrance were replaced with a new exit door to the basement.
- 1998 - Renamed from "The Old Olympia Federal Building" in honor of Justice James Dolliver, who served a long and distinguished career in local, state and federal government. It was renamed to the "Justice James Dolliver Building."
- 2000 – Building Condition Assessment
- 2002 – Numerous repairs due to the 2001 Nisqually earthquake
- 2004 – Life Safety Study
- 2008 – Exterior Preservation
- 2012 – Commissioning and repair of HVAC system
- 2017 – Foundation Leak: Completed as emergency repair in January 2021.
- 2018 – Fire Protection, Exterior and Seismic Assessment
Building History
The Dolliver Building, originally known as the Historic Federal Building of Olympia, was constructed in 1914 as the Olympia Post Office, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the Olympia Heritage Register.
It was built of Tenino sandstone in the Neo-Classical style typical of its period. Its interior features include marble/terrazzo floors, 19-foot ceilings, original doors, wainscoting, and a grand staircase. The first floor has been heavily altered through the years, but the second floor remains virtually untouched.
The building sits on a 150 x 150 foot square site and has a gross area of 23,385 square feet. James Knox Taylor was the Supervising Architect at the beginning of construction, with Supervising Architect Oscar Wenderoth finishing the contract in 1914. Total construction cost was $120,227.
The building was inaugurated on January 6, 1915 as the Post Office Building. It was a communications center for the growing state Capitol town, as mail was brought in three times a day from the Northern Pacific Depot. In addition, there were daily boat deliveries from other parts of the Puget Sound.