Legislative Building

The Washington State Capitol in Olympia, Washington is the seat of government of the state of Washington. Instead of a single building, as in most states, the capitol consists of a campus with several buildings on it. The state legislature, supreme court, and governor's mansion are all located on the capitol campus. Legislative Building on the Washington State Capitol campus in Olympia, Washington. ... Legislative Building on the Washington State Capitol campus in Olympia, Washington. ... State Capitol and waterfront, Olympia, Washington. ... A U.S. state is any one of the fifty states (four of which officially favor the term commonwealth) which, together with the District of Columbia and Palmyra Atoll (an uninhabited incorporated unorganized territory), form the United States of America. ... State nickname: The Evergreen State Official languages None Capital Olympia Largest city Seattle Governor Christine Gregoire (D) Senators Patty Murray (D) Maria Cantwell (D) Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 18th 184,824 km² 6. ... State legislatures are the lawmaking bodies of the 50 states in the United States of America. ... The supreme court in some countries, provinces, and states, is the highest court in that jurisdiction and functions as a court of last resort whose rulings cannot be appealed. ... A governor is also a device that regulates the speed of a machine. ...

History

After Olympia became the capital of the Washington Territory in 1854, the city's founder, Edmund Sylvester, gave the legislature 12 acres (49,000 m²) of land upon which to build the capitol, located on a hill overlooking what is now known as Capitol Lake. A two-story wood-frame building was constructed on the site, where the legislature met starting in 1856. When President Benjamin Harrison approved Washington's state constitution in 1889, he donated 132,000 acres (534 km²) of federal lands to the state, with the stipulation that income from the lands was to be used solely for construction of the state capitol. Categories: Historical stubs | Washington history | U.S. historical regions and territories ... 1854 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1856 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Benjamin Harrison (August 20, 1833 – March 13, 1901) was the 23rd President of the United States (1889-1893). ... In the context of the United States of America, a state constitution is the governing document of a U.S. state, comparable to the U.S. Constitution which is the governing document of the United States. ... 1889 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

The legislature formed the State Capitol Commission in 1893 to oversee the creation of a new capitol building on the property in Olympia. The commission held a nationwide competition to find an architect, and chose the submission of Ernest Flagg. Construction began on Flagg's plan, but was soon stalled by poor economic conditions with only the foundation completed. When the legislature finally passed an appropriation of additional funds in 1897, newly-elected Governor John Rogers vetoed it. Governor Rogers advocated the purchase of an existing building for use as the state capitol: the Thurston County Courthouse in downtown Olympia. The legislature approved the new location, and began meeting there in 1905. 1893 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Architect at his drawing board, 1893 An architect is a person involved in the planning, designing and oversight of a buildings construction. ... Ernest Flagg (February 6, 1857-April 10, 1947) was a noted American architect in the Beaux-Arts style. ... An appropriation bill or supply bill is a legislative motion which authorizes the government to spend money. ... 1897 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Thurston County is a county located in the state of Washington. ... 1905 (MCMV) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...

The courthouse became the location of all agencies of the state government, and within a few years the legislature decided the building was too small. A new State Capitol Commission met in 1911 to build a group of buildings, rather than a single facility, to serve as the capitol. The commission held another competition for an architect, and selected the design submitted by the firm of Walter Wilder and Harry White. Construction began in 1912, and the Temple of Justice was completed in 1920, followed the Insurance Building and the power and heating plant. After multiple revisions to the plans, the Legislative Building was completed in 1928. Additional buildings on the capitol campus were constructed over the next several decades. 1911 (MCMXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar). ... 1912 (MCMXII) was a leap year starting on Monday. ... 1920 (MCMXX) is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar) // Events January January 7 - Forces of Russian White admiral Kolchak surrender in Krasnoyarsk. ... 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Earthquakes

Dome of the Legislative Building

Three major earthquakes have rocked the capitol since its construction. The first, in 1949, damaged the cupola of the Legislative Building's dome so badly it had to be completely replaced. A 6.5 magnitude quake in 1965 had even worse results, with the dome's brick buttresses left in such poor condition that a major aftershock could have caused them to collapse entirely, according to a state report. [1] The state worked on the capitol after both earthquakes to reduce the impact of future occurrences, and performed additional seismic improvements in 1975. The Nisqually earthquake of 2001 caused further damage, including a splintered buttress, but the earthquake-proofing work prevented more serious harm to the building. [2] Download high resolution version (726x800, 92 KB)Dome of the Legislative Building on the Washington State Capitol campus in Olympia, Washington. ... Download high resolution version (726x800, 92 KB)Dome of the Legislative Building on the Washington State Capitol campus in Olympia, Washington. ... Global earthquake epicenters, 1963–1998 An earthquake is a sudden and sometimes catastrophic movement of a part of the Earths surface. ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) is a common year starting on Saturday. ... Cupola of St Peters Basilica, Rome In architecture, a cupola consists of a dome-shaped ornamental structure located on top of a larger roof or dome, often used as a lookout or to admit light and remove stale air. ... St Peters Basilica, Rome A dome is a common structural element of architecture that resembles the hollow upper half of a sphere. ... The Richter magnitude test scale (or more correctly local magnitude ML scale) assigns a single number to quantify the size of an earthquake. ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link goes to calendar). ... A buttress (and mostly concealed, a flying buttress) supporting walls at the Palace of Westminster Three different types of buttress: diagonal, on the statues plinth; an ordinary buttress supporting a flying buttress, to the right of the statue; a small ordinary buttress to the right side of the picture... Aftershocks are earthquakes in the same region of the mainshock (generally within a few rupture length) but of smaller magnitude and which occur with in a pattern that follows Omoris law. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1975 calendar). ... The Nisqually earthquake occurred on February 28, 2001, and was one of the largest recorded earthquakes in Washington state history. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ...

The capitol dome, weighing 26,000 metric tons, was not held in place by any bolts or fasteners, but by gravity alone. During an earthquake, the dome could shift, along with the sandstone columns supporting it. The columns moved up to three inches (76 mm) during the Nisqually quake. Renovations completed in 2004 permanently fixed the dome to the rest of the building. Gravity is the force of attraction between massive particles. ... Sandstone near Stadtroda, Germany Sandstone is an sedimentary rock composed mainly of feldspar and quartz and varies in colour (in a similar way to sand), through grey, yellow, red, and white. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Buildings

Temple of Justice

The Legislative Building houses the Washington State Legislature and the offices of the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, and Treasurer. This building is the dominant feature of the capitol grounds, with its dome reaching a height of 287 feet (87 m), making it one of the tallest self-supporting masonry domes in the world. Temple of Justice on the Washington State Capitol campus in Olympia, Washington. ... Temple of Justice on the Washington State Capitol campus in Olympia, Washington. ... The Washington Legislature is the state legislature of Washington State. ... St Peters Basilica, Rome A dome is a common structural element of architecture that resembles the hollow upper half of a sphere. ... Masonry is the building of structures from individual units laid in and bound together by mortar. ...

Facing the Legislative Building is the Temple of Justice, home to the State Supreme Court and the State Law Library.

Governor's Mansion

The Governor's Mansion is located immediately west of the Legislative Building. Built before the rest of the capitol campus in 1908, the four-story Georgian-style mansion was intended as a temporary structure, and over the years the state legislature has considered replacing it with an office building or a new mansion. The legislature decided to renovate and remodel the existing building in 1973, and since then the private, non-profit Governor's Mansion Foundation has furnished and maintained the mansion's public rooms. Governors Mansion on the Washington State Capitol campus in Olympia, Washington. ... Governors Mansion on the Washington State Capitol campus in Olympia, Washington. ... 1908 (MCMVIII) is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ...

The capitol campus is the location of the General Administration Building, the Transportation Building, the Natural Resources Building, and several other office buildings. The Capitol Conservatory, built in 1939 by the Works Progress Administration, houses various types of flora. The campus also hosts many veterans memorials. 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Works Progress Administration (later Works Projects Administration, abbreviated WPA), was created on May 6, 1935 with the signing of Executive Order 7034. ... Divisions Land plants (embryophytes) Non-vascular plants (bryophytes) Marchantiophyta - liverworts Anthocerotophyta - hornworts Bryophyta - mosses Vascular plants (tracheophytes) Lycopodiophyta - clubmosses Equisetophyta - horsetails Pteridophyta - true ferns Psilotophyta - whisk ferns Ophioglossophyta - adderstongues Seed plants (spermatophytes) †Pteridospermatophyta - seed ferns Pinophyta - conifers Cycadophyta - cycads Ginkgophyta - ginkgo Gnetophyta - gnetae Magnoliophyta - flowering plants Adiantum pedatum (a fern... A veteran refers to a person who is experienced in a particular area, particularly referring to people in the armed forces. ...

References

• Johnston, Norman J. Washington's Audacious State Capitol and Its Builders. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1988.

1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on a Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• State Capitol Visitor Information
• Governor's Mansion
• Governor's Mansion Foundation
• Washington State Capitol - Photographs from a visit to the capitol