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Tag: Washington State Capitol

Happy 75th birthday, Ralph Munro: New exhibit features longtime statesman

Happy 75th birthday, Ralph Munro: New exhibit features longtime statesman

Five-term Washington Secretary of State Ralph Munro turns 75 on Monday, June 25, a milestone in a life of accomplishments that transcend his well-deserved political renown. A longtime advocate for humanitarian and environmental causes, Munro played a pioneering role in the disability rights movement. Inspired by a developmentally disabled boy, Munro became an advocate for the discounted and invisible people shunned by society. In 1968, Gov. Dan Evans appointed Munro, who was 25, to oversee a committee to promote volunteerism….

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Toledo Elementary School student's letter after visit to Washington State Capitol.
Second-grader gives WA Capitol thumbs-up in letter

Second-grader gives WA Capitol thumbs-up in letter

Washington’s Capitol Campus receives thousands of visitors each year, including many tourists from other states or other nations. But a large number are elementary school students from right here in Washington. Usually, an entire grade of students from a school will make the bus trip to Olympia to see the campus. For most of these students, it’s their first time to the Capitol. So you can imagine their reaction when they look up at the top of the domed Legislative…

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Time’s running out for Capitol botanical tour

Time’s running out for Capitol botanical tour

Every day, the Washington State Capitol is open to the public for tours of the Legislative Building. Beginning in the middle of August, a cool new tour was added – a botanical tour of the whole lush campus. In a state known for its abundance of trees and plantings, it only makes sense that the Capitol Campus would be a shining example of Washington’s love of nature. The Olmsted Brothers of Central Park fame were the original designers after all….

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From the Archives: Lege Building construction in 1924

From the Archives: Lege Building construction in 1924

Washington’s Legislative Building under construction in February 1924. (Photo courtesy of Washington State Archives) The Legislative Building in Olympia is relatively quiet as many lawmakers head home for town hall meetings or other events, or just to get some well-deserved rest after working into the evening the past week in the face of Tuesday’s deadline to pass bills from their house of origin.  With the scheduled 60-day legislative session now two-thirds completed, the House and Senate are now considering bills…

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Slade talks redistricting, 9/11, Senate and more

Slade talks redistricting, 9/11, Senate and more

John C. Hughes and former U.S. Senator Slade Gorton sign copies of the book that Hughes recently wrote about the longtime statesman. Former state Attorney General and U.S. Senator Slade Gorton was the featured guest at a forum and book signing Thursday in the Legislative Building’s State Reception Room. More than 50 attendees heard Gorton speak about his enduring and prominent career in state and national politics.  Gorton is the subject of a recent biography entitled “Slade Gorton A Half-Century…

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Olympia celebrates Capitol Group design centennial

Olympia celebrates Capitol Group design centennial

Wilder and White watercolor, 1912 Secretary Reed and other Olympia notables and townspeople are celebrating the centennial of Wilder & White winning the nationwide design contest for Washington’s much-praised Capitol group.  They bid everyone welcome. Walter Wilder and Harry White were young, little-known New York architects when they won the competition 100 years ago today, submitting an audacious and grand plan for a Capitol Group that includes the Capitol (Legislative Building), Temple of Justice, and other building clustered on a…

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From Your Corner of Washington: The State Capitol

From Your Corner of Washington: The State Capitol

Photo courtesy of Patrick McDonald The Washington State Capitol in late August with the clouds rolling in during a breezy afternoon. We invite you to e-mail your photos and stories to us as part of an ongoing feature called “From Your Corner of Washington” – we want to gather images of landscapes, homes, views, and personal narratives from all over the state. Q) How do I submit a photo or story to be used in “From Your Corner of  Washington”? A) Please send…

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U.S. Honor Flag visiting State Capitol

U.S. Honor Flag visiting State Capitol

The U.S. Honor Flag plans to fly over the State Legislative Building tomorrow, June 23rd.  The ceremony is open to the public and begins at 11 a.m. and runs for about 45 minutes. This special flag started at Ground Zero soon after the recovery efforts of 9-11.  It has supported our military in Iraq and Afghanistan.  It’s also flown above the U.S. Capitol, several presidential libraries and many state capitol buildings.  Also, this flag has been to numerous line-of-duty death…

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Didyaknow…?

Didyaknow…?

The very first protesters on the State Capitol steps were the Sons of the American Revolution.  In 1929, they protested the fact that everyone could walk across the bronze State Seal with the image of George Washington on the rotunda floor.  They thought it was disrespectful that citizens could actually tread across the face of our first president. One year later, their voices were heard and ropes did go up to protect the State Seal.  In that short amount of…

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