The Old Capitol Building, located facing Sylvester Park in downtown Olympia, Washington, is a monumental example of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture designed by noted architect Willis A. Ritchie. Constructed between 1890 and 1892, the imposing structure was originally built to serve as the Thurston County Courthouse. Clad in light-grey Chuckanut sandstone, the building features characteristic Romanesque elements, including heavy masonry, rounded arches, deep-set windows, and octagonal corner turrets. In 1901, the State of Washington purchased the building to serve as its official state capitol, reflecting the rapid growth of the young state and its need for a grand, centralized seat of government. An eastern annex was added between 1901 and 1905 to accommodate the legislature, solidifying the building's role as the center of Washington's political life at the turn of the twentieth century.

For nearly three decades, the building served as the crucible of Washington state politics, hosting legislative sessions and executive offices until the completion of the current Legislative Building on the Capitol Campus in 1928. Over its long history, the Old Capitol Building has survived significant physical challenges, including a devastating fire in 1928 that destroyed its original, soaring central clock tower and twelve smaller towers, as well as major earthquakes in 1949 and 1965. Despite these events and subsequent exterior modifications, the building remains an iconic Olympia landmark. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975, it now houses the state's Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, standing as a resilient symbol of Washington's early statehood and architectural ambition.