City of Olympia, WA

09/07/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/07/2025 09:42

07/09/2025 - Olympia Council gives initial Armory upgrades go-ahead

Olympia Council gives initial Armory upgrades go-ahead

At their July 8, 2025 regular meeting, Olympia City Council unanimously approved bond funding for the first phase of Olympia Armory renovations.

City staff will now move ahead with plans to secure 30-year bonds to fund critical infrastructure upgrades for ADA accessibility, fire safety and seismic modifications. The bonds will be paid back using parks dedicated funding including voter-approved Olympia Metropolitan Parks District (OMPD) junior taxing district dollars.

To help fund the $19M cost of arts center improvements, the City is also investing parks dedicated funds and has secured the promise of significant grant contributions, including $1.5M from the Washington State Department of Commerce, $1M from the Washington State Historical Society and $75,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts.

These early investments lay the foundation for a safe and functional space able to welcome the public when it reopens in mid-2027 or sooner. The construction is expected to break ground this fall and last 12 to 18 months.

A home for arts and culture


The almost 50,000-square-foot facility was built in 1938 and recently achieved registration as a historic site at the local, state and federal levels. It has served as a community gathering place for over 80 years, hosting everything from inaugural balls to job fairs and concerts.

For more than 35 years and across nine different city planning documents, Olympia residents have identified the need for a dedicated arts center. The Armory building will fulfill this promise by providing a flexible, accessible space for artmaking, exhibitions, performances and more. It will also house several community arts non-profits, including: The Bridge Music Project, Capital City Pride, Community Print, Kokua Services /Hummingbird Studio, Olympia Film Collective, TC Media, PARC Foundation and Olympia Lamplighters.

This fall the City Council Community Livability and Public Safety Committee with consider an official name for the arts center. They plan to review the Parks & Recreations Advisory Committee name recommendation at their meeting on Sept. 23, 2025.

The Armory building is currently closed - awaiting the required safety and accessibility improvements - with an anticipated reopening expected mid-2027 or sooner.

Special thanks to the community members and partners who have invested their time, energy and funds towards realizing the community's vision for a vibrant arts and culture hub open to all for creativity, collaboration and community connection.

To stay informed on project progress, sign up to receive "Arts, Culture and Heritage" e-news direct from the City of Olympia at olympiawa.gov/news.

Learn more about the project from the City of Olympia website, olympiawa.gov/armory.
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Contact
Valorie Roberts, Building Manager
Olympia Parks, Arts & Recreation
360.753.8468
vroberts@ci.olympia.wa.us
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