On August 3, 1911, the Washington State Capitol Commission awarded first prize in a design competition for our state's new capitol to New York architects Walter R. Wilder and Harry K. White. Wilder and White were relatively unknown, young architects whose ambitious plan for a group of six buildings for the state capitol was selected over 32 other entries.
The Wilder and White design is grounded in classical architectural styles recalling the temples of ancient Greece and Rome. It is among the last examples in an era known as American Renaissance and City Beautiful. The assembly of buildings faces Capitol Lake, Puget Sound and the distant Olympic Mountains, and is intended to be seen from afar as a single large structure supporting the dome of the Legislative Building at the center.
Work on the capitol buildings began in 1911, with the fifth building completed in 1940. The sixth building, intended for the western edge of the campus, was never built.
This sign commemorates the 100th anniversary of the Wilder and White design, August 2011.
"Olympia is wonderfully expressive of the State of Washington. Its location at the head of Puget Sound with the combination of water and mountains in every direction make it distinctive beyond most capitol cities, and what is true of the city is particularly
true of the site elected for the capitol buildings themselves."
W.R. Wilder,Pacific Coast Architect,January 1913, Vol. 4 page 154
Comments 0 comments