Submitted by Washington Military Department
Do you have stories, photos or other reminiscences about the Olympia Armory? A new storytelling project needs your help to capture the living history of this iconic building. To submit your story and become part of the living history of the Armory, visit www.olympiahistory.org. The deadline for submission is March 31, 2022. For technical assistance or for questions, contact olyhistory@gmail.com or 253-512-8469
Storytelling contributions will be reviewed and may be used in a public website, presentations or other formats by the Washington Military Department and Olympia Historical Society and Bigelow House Museum. All submissions will be preserved at State Archives.
The Olympia Armory, recently listed in the Olympia Heritage Register, is entering a new phase of life. In 2022, it will transition from a military installation for the Washington Army National Guard to a Creative Campus owned by the City of Olympia. As it retires after over 80 years of military service, the Olympia Historical Society and Bigelow House Museum, the Washington Military Department, the City of Olympia, Eastside Neighborhood Association and several other partners have come together to commemorate the monumental building and the lives it has touched.
History of Project
Due to the Olympia Armory’s historic role in the National Guard, its construction as a New Deal era project, its noted architectural style and its famous architects, it is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. As such, the Washington Army National Guard, working with the Olympia Historical Society, the Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, and other stakeholders developed the Storytelling Project and Website as a way to memorialize the building’s history prior to its new phase of life. Collected materials, preserved at the Washington State Archives, will be made accessible to the public on the Olympia Historical Society’s website, and may be developed into longer video interviews for the public to enjoy.
History of Armory
Designed by noted architects Joseph Wohleb of Olympia and Roland Borhek of Tacoma in the late 1930s, the Olympia Armory has been an integral part of the community’s history and the long history of the Army National Guard presence in Olympia. The iconic Works Progress Administration Moderne-style building sits on what once was the site of the first Washington School. Since its construction, the Armory has been used not only by the National Guard, but by the community as a venue and gathering place for events such as basketball games, car exhibitions, festivals, inaugural balls and more.
Future of the Armory
The Armory will soon be vacated by the National Guard and transferred to the City of Olympia. The city plans to carry on the Armory’s long tradition as a community space by transforming the building’s interior into a community “creative campus” while retaining the striking and historical style of the building’s exterior. The city hopes to use the new dedicated arts space to “support the arts as integral to Olympia’s way of life; encourage community growth through creativity and innovation; use the arts to connect people, ideas, and place; and operate from an equity framework.”
