Mid-Century: The General Administration Building of Olympia, Washington (Oly 25)

The now-empty 1956 General Administration Building is a significant International Style building on the Washington Capitol Campus in Olympia. According to the nomination for the National Register of Historic Places,  

The building is also historically significant…as an intact example of Modern architecture in Olympia, Washington. The building was designed by prominent Tacoma architect, A. Gordon Lumm, in the International style distinctive for its horizontal cubical form and spare ornamentation. Its exterior minimalist appearance and interior architectural flexibility, including movable aluminum wall panels, demonstrate a growing aesthetic for modular space able to easily accommodate changing space and technology requirements. In this case, a building that needed to serve a diversity of state agencies housed in one structure. 

The building has been unoccupied since 2018 for many reasons. The wiring, plumbing, and structure no longer meet building codes. And more important, it is not seismically stable. During the 2001 Nisqually Earthquake (M_w = 6.8), the building developed cracks, and some employees refused to enter it. It was not built to modern seismic standards and is close to the bluff overlooking Capitol Lake. Considerable liquefaction occurred during the earthquake along Deschutes Parkway and at the southern end of the lake.  

The state determined that it was not cost effective to renovate the GA building and would demolish it, despite its architectural significance. As of this writing (January 2026), no work has started. For now, the state plans to replace it with a parking lot and toilet (yes, really!). Eventually, a new executive office complex may be built on the site. But will they save the toilet?

Poor George has mildew, Nov. 19, 2025 
(Fuji Acros II film, Pentax 28mm ƒ/3.5 shift lens, yellow filter) 

2024 view from Columbia Street SW (Leica M2, 21mm ƒ/4.5 Zeiss Biogon-C lens)

Compared to some mid-century architecture that I have seen, this one does not look bad to me. The eye is drawn horizontally along the windows and the concrete panels with the corrugated pattern running sideways. I prefer this to most 1960s brutalism concrete buildings. 

Visitors during the No Kings protest (Fuji X-E1 digital file)

These two photographs are from the east side of the building from Columbia Street SW. I used Panatomic-X film in my Hasselblad 501CM camera with the 40mm ƒ/4 CFE FLE lens, tripod-mounted.

The building is closed, but I took two interior views by placing my Samsung phone against rather dirty windows. I like the tubular lights in the 2nd picture above.

Status: Unknown. I will monitor progress.

NO KINGS! in Olympia, Washington (Oly 20)

On June 14, 2025, over 5000 Olympians and other Washingtonians gathered at the Washington State Capitol to protest against the Trump administration and show solidarity with millions of protestors around the country at other rallies. 

I headed up the hill on my bicycle and took photographs, stopped at the booths, spoke to people, and sent a postcard to an eligible voter in Georgia, urging her to register to vote and support Jon Ossof. Several protesters and I commiserated how we now have a lot more respect for  Richard Nixon.

Signs and costumes lined Capitol Way, turning it into a honkfest from supportive motorists. 

I saw more policemen at the periphery of the Capitol grounds than during the previous protests, but they  were just standing around and chatting.

Recall how Jeffrey Epstein just sort of committed suicide while under supervision in a prison cell in New York State. Hmmm....

Less greed? Could it possibly be that this administration has become a giant state-sponsored kleptocracy? Naw, not our USA.....

This protest was one of hundreds held around the United States and even abroad. 

840 protests in USA (from ACLED)

I took these photographs with my Fuji X-E1 digital camera and the Fuji 18-55mm zoom lens. These are jpeg files from the camera with some cropping for display here. I used the Fuji Astia emulation (Astia was one of their later transparency films).

I photographed the Not My Presidents Day protest with black and white film. It has a different aesthetic look compared to the color digital frames above.

Not My Presidents Day Protest with Presto 400 film (Oly 19)

Last Monday, May 26, 2025, the USA celebrated Memorial Day to commemorate fallen service members. Many died in action to help maintain the federal form of government that we now enjoy. We all benefit from their ultimate sacrifices.

I thought it was appropriate to show pictures from the "Not My Presidents Day" protest that was held at the Washington State Capitol on February 27, 2025. That these people can gather and express their feeling and beliefs is a key element of our form of government. Will we be able to continue protesting in the months ahead? When will the repression start? It has already begun on some university campuses.

Read the posters and signs below and consider what they are saying. The people in individual or group portraits gave me permission to take their pictures.

The Olympia State Capitol

SNAP refers to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

Oozing into Gilead

The Handmaid's Tale is a horrifying allegory of a totalitarian state (The Republic of Gilead) where white women become breeding machines for the ruling class. "The novel explores themes of powerless women in a patriarchal society, loss of female agency and individuality, suppression of reproductive rights, and the various means by which women resist and try to gain individuality and independence." (from Wikipedia).

"It Takes All of Us to Make the USA" 

Checking out Truth (Fraud) Social?

The protesters were vocal and energetic, but largely mellow. No fire bombs or torching buildings (protests in Athens in the 1970s were more fun....).

I took these phortographs on discontinued Fuji Presto 400 film, the same emulsion as Neopan 400 Professional. The camera was my little Pentax MG with a 50mm ƒ/2 Pentax-A lens. My Indiana friend, Jim Grey, sent me some boxes of this superb film. Based on limited experience, I think it resembles the classic older style of Tri-X. I will write about Presto in more detail in a later article. Thanks for the film, Jim!

This is Abandoned Films no. 14 and Oly no. 19.

HANDS OFF! in Olympia, Washington (Oly 17)

Blog Note:  I just posted an article about my Volkswagen Squareback car. I will withdraw it and repost it in the future because I want to share some pictures from the April 5 Hands Off protest.

The Hands Off protest gathered in front of the Washington State Capitol on the afternoon of April 5, 2025. This mirrored hundreds of similar protest around the country and even internationally. People here and around the country were protesting the loss of medical research, funding for agencies, the gutting of scientific staff at federal research agencies, a chaotic tariff program, and potential threats to social security and medicaid enacted by Elon Musk and the felon traitor in the White House. I cannot predict if the protests will have any effect at all, but real American patriots are angry and are speaking out. 

View of the Capitol steps

The speakers were on the north steps of the Capitol. It was a bit hard to understand what they were saying. My wife and I walked around and admired the signs. The crowd was in a good mood - no Molotov cocktails, burning effegies, or tear gas.

Here is a sampling of the signs, many quite clever.

A bit further north, sculpture and some handsome mature trees.

It was a sunny hot afternoon, almost a hint of summer. The crowd was peaceful and not too noisy. Several people commented to me that the current president made Richard Nixon and George Bush II look good. I did not hear anyone compliment Ronald Reagan. Hmmm.......

I took these photographs with my Fuji X-E1 digital camera with the compact 27mm ƒ/2.8 Fujinon lens. I set the jpeg output to be black and white but later realized that color was much more effective on this glarey sunny day. The pictures above are from the RAW files as opened with XNView MP software.