It’s weird to realize that Olympia – known for being an arts and cultural hub – does not have a community arts center. That’s about to change, as the City of Olympia starts the first phase of the Olympia Armory conversion to a community arts center.
“it’s really wonderful,” shares Valerie Roberts, Olympia Armory building manager. “We want to be able to open this beautiful building back up to the community and give them the art center that they’ve been asking for since 1989.”
The Armory officially closed for construction at a ground-breaking ceremony on September 25, 2025.
A Community Arts Center is Coming to Olympia
The historic Olympia Armory is being reborn into a community hub that will allow all artists, makers, crafters and dreamers a space to create, invite and engage. The building’s use was largely decided upon after feedback the City received from Olympia-area residents on what they wanted in a community center.
“One thing that we heard really clearly from the community was how they wanted us to run it, which is that they wanted the City to keep ownership of the building and take care of the building, but they actually wanted us to have community arts nonprofits move in and run the programming,” shares Valerie. “I think that that was a really smart thing the community asked for, because we have so many really wonderful and impactful nonprofits already that do wonderful things, and so we’ve been able to with the community, go through a process of selection of community arts nonprofits to move in the building.”
Eight local nonprofits have already been chosen as the anchor partners: The Bridge Music Project; Capital City Pride; Community Print; Kokua Services /Hummingbird Studio; Olympia Film Collective; Olympia Lamplighters ; PARC Foundation; and TC Media. These nonprofits were offered a five-year lease in the Creative Campus at the bottom of market rate, to make it as affordable as possible. They have the option to extend to a 10-year lease as well.
The anchor partners represent a diverse collection of arts and culture, which was deliberate, as the community also wanted the arts center to have a variety of programming. “They wanted music and theater and gallery space and two-dimensional art, three-dimensional art, ceramics,” Valerie shares.
Also to that end, there will be design spaces that fit the needs of filmmakers, music makers, podcasters, art makers, printers, event hosts and more. The Olympia Armory has already hosted several events before it closed for construction, including a Procession of the Species event, a roller derby, a New Year’s Eve party, a sticker fest, a motorcycle show and a Capital City Pride event.
Finally, people wanted a space they could utilize, so the entire first floor, including a 10,000 square-foot room that used to be a drill hall, will be available for renting through the City for anyone to use. Anchor partners get one free rental day per year for use of this space, as well as access to two larger classrooms so they can continue to offer affordable programming to the community.
This first phase of construction is estimated to take about 12-18 months, and includes all the necessary updates to make the building safe and accessible for all. They are working on ADA upgrades, adding things like EV chargers, bike parking and additional toilets. The sidewalks are getting upgrades at the crosswalks and trees are being planted. Electrical is also being redone to be up safe and efficient, including the use of solar.
Funding the Olympia Armory Creative Campus
Valerie explains that the $18.9 million budget for the renovation did not come from the City’s general budget, but from a series of grants, as well as City of Olympia Arts, Parks, & Recreation budget. Bonds are funding the construction, which will be repaid thorugh the Olympia Metropolitan Parks District fund dollars. “Through the receipt of some pretty wonderful major grants that we’ve received from the Washington State Historical Society and the Department of Commerce and the National Endowment for the Arts,” Valerie shares, “and also with some strategic saving that the city of Olympia Parks Department has done with their capital budget for the purpose of these development projects, we are able to leverage a lot of funding that we have that’s been slated for a project like this to get this done now.”
To stay up today, sign up for the Arts & Culture newsletter on the City of Olympia website, or visit the Olympia Armory website.
“While we are under construction for this building, my request to the community is to continue to engage with the anchor partners now,” says Valerie, “because they’re running their businesses, they have these great programs, and they are going to be the driving force of this going forward, and they’re really fun to participate in now! You don’t have to wait till the Armory opens to do fun stuff!”
