Major new office building nears opening on Washington Capitol campusFree

The name is the same. Many tenants too.

But the Irving R. Newhouse Building set to formally open soon is nothing like the edifice it is replacing on the Washington state Capitol campus.

Those working inside will find it bigger, brighter, roomier, and safer than the nearly 90-year-old structure they toiled in before.

The man behind the name

Senators and Republican caucus staff, who’ve spent the last couple years in a temporary building, have been moving into the new Newhouse over the past few weeks.

What a change. It is four stories with a basement and 59,240 square feet of space. There’s a centrally located staircase, floor-to-ceiling windows, a skylight and rooftop solar that will provide about 20% of the building’s power.

It’s on track to earn a gold rating as a green building based on the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, standards. Its use of salvaged Douglas fir wood and local Wilkeson sandstone reduced its carbon footprint in construction, and it has energy-efficient windows, well-insulated walls, and natural ventilation.

The first floor is home to a large meeting room. Lawmakers fill offices on the second and third floors with caucus staff on the fourth. Other entities, like the Legislative Support Services and the Legislative Ethics Board have offices there too.

The building has plenty of local flavor beyond just Washington-sourced construction materials.

Art installations by Ryan!, an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, adorn the entryways.

Inside, architects designed what they call the “mixing chamber” — the social heart of the building — allowing light from the rooftop skylight to reach common spaces on all floor levels. Adjacent to the staircase, wood salvaged from the press houses was made into a permanent art installation, designed by Miller Hull, to showcase the history of the site.

Nick Clesi of The Miller Hull Partnership, a Seattle-based architectural firm, said its team set out to achieve a modern interpretation of the neoclassical architectural design of existing buildings. “It looks like it belongs on the campus,” he said, adding he’s “eager to hear how others respond to the design.”

Many years, many tenants

When the original structure opened in 1934, it was known as the Highway Building because the Washington State Highway Department was its first occupant. Stone carvers chiseled the department’s name in the sandstone panels above the main entrance on the north side, according to archival records.

The name evolved as tenants changed. In the 1950s, it was the Labor & Industries Building and by the early 1960s, it had become the Institutions Building as employees of the state’s social and human services department occupied the majority of offices.

In 1976, some senators and the lieutenant governor moved their offices temporarily into the building while structural repairs were completed to the Legislative Building. While the lieutenant governor returned to the confines of the Capitol, several Republican senators and caucus staff didn’t. And the old Newhouse building became their home in years since.

On Sept. 17, 1998, with longtime state lawmaker Irving Newhouse heading to retirement, the building was formally dedicated in his honor. State lawmakers signaled in 2023 their desire to retain the name on the new building .

Reporter Laurel Demkovich contributed to this story.

Washington State Standard is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Washington State Standard maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Bill Lucia for questions: info@washingtonstatestandard.com.