Current Projects

Roof Replacement Project

An aged roof is being replaced on the Insurance Building this summer. The project will last through mid-October.

The replacement will alleviate water damage in the Insurance Building. Work will improve roof drainage, remove obsolete heating/ventilation/cooling equipment, replace some skylights, replace the roof membrane, add insulation and bring other items up to current building code. The Department of Enterprise Services has contracted with Oak Hill Construction of Algona to perform the work. There will be noise, pedestrian, parking and traffic impacts.

In general, work will occur between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. There may be extended work hours during some portions of the project. There will be staging areas for project materials on the west side of the Insurance building.

Work the week of Aug. 19, 2019

There will be increased truck traffic along 15th Avenue as insulation systems are delivered to the Cherberg and Insurance buildings. Roads will remain open, and flaggers will be on site. The construction team will be onsite for to install safety tie offs, for further investigation and to do prep work for skylight removal, which will begin on the roof. Some noise will occur, but mostly outside of core business hours. The Cherry Street sidewalk on the west side of the building may be closed for about 30 minutes to accommodate a trash bin arrival on a day yet to be determined.

Safety and mitigation

Several steps will be taken throughout the project to ensure safety and mitigate impacts:

• Work that will create noise impacts will be done early in the morning through 9 a.m. and late in the afternoon starting at 4:30 p.m. to bring predictability and minimize the effect on employees.
• For safety, flaggers will be in place to direct traffic.
• Scaffolding will not be near the entrance.
• When skylights are removed, the contractor will take measures to protect people and office equipment below.
• Some public and assigned parking stalls will be closed for use. The parking office will work with affected parkers.

Contact: Project Coordinator Hamed Khalili, Hamed.Khalili@des.wa.gov, (360) 407-7979.

Past Projects

• 1949 – Sections of architrave and frieze rebuilt as part of seismic upgrade.
• 1967 – Two coats of Vise Wall Marble Crete Glaze acrylic coating, clear, non-breathable, full cross-linked coating applied.
• 1971-79 – Multiple remodel projects throughout the building. New partitions in perimeter spaces. All existing hollow clay tile partitions, marble sills, and perimeter wall and ceiling finishes removed in perimeter spaces. Shear walls and two new stairwells added. New fixtures, finishes, windowsills and doors provided. Bronze handrails and ADA ramp added. Drinking fountains, light fixtures, and skylights replaced.
• 2000 – Fire suppression system upgraded.
• 2002 – Sandstone reattachment by pinning on the north facade. Card readers added.

Building History

Built in 1921, the Insurance Building features a narrow, rectangular footprint of approximately 98,000 cubic feet. It is four-stories with a below-grade partial basement. While technically a three-story building from the exterior, the fourth floor is set just beneath the gable roof, bounded by the balustrade and illuminated by skylights and round roof dormers.

Located at the northeast corner of 14th Avenue Southwest and Cherry Lane Southwest, the Insurance Building defines the eastern edge of Wilder and White’s Capitol Group. Situated immediately east of the Legislative Building and as the second building designed for the Capitol by Wilder and White, the Insurance Building’s construction solidified the arrangement and ultimate group placement.

The exterior form displays the quiet rooflines, pediment porticoes and linteled window and door openings, characteristic of Neo-Classical Revival style. The buff-colored Wilkeson sandstone cladding and Index granite base integrate the building within the core Capitol Group.

The Insurance Building is included in the National Register listed under the Washington State Capitol Historic District (1979) as a contributing resource.