Let there be light: Work begins on restoration of Capitol skylights

OLYMPIA - A project to shine a little more light on the inner workings of state government got underway this week. Literally.

Work began on a long-discussed plan to restore historic skylights in the House of Representatives and Senate chambers inside the state Capitol.

The project, which will be completed by the time lawmakers return in January for the start of the 2027 session, is one of several ongoing construction projects on the Capitol campus. The project to restore the skylights and make infrastructure improvements in both chambers is estimated to cost $5.4 million, about $2.5 million less than previously estimated.

Completed in 1928, the state Capitol in Olympia originally featured prominent skylights above the floors of each chamber, allowing natural light to shine through amber-tinted opalescent glass. However, the skylights were covered in the 1970s out of a desire to increase safety and the structural integrity of the building.

The work was completed shortly after the 1965 Puget Sound earthquake, which registered at a magnitude of 6.7 on the Richter scale and caused more than $12.5 million in damage throughout Western Washington and killed seven people. The quake caused cracking in the Capitol dome, other structural damage, and fear that an aftershock could cause the entire dome to collapse.

Lawmakers in both chambers have relied on fluorescent lighting to brighten the sides of the Capitol building since the skylight in the House of Representatives was covered in 1975.

Since then, lighting, sound, smoke detection and security systems have been installed in the roofs of each chamber, further complicating the restoration. A 2017 report commissioned by legislators found that "numerous renovations over the lifetime of the building add additional complexity to the project."

Paul Campos, an Olympia historian who has served on the Capitol Furnishings and Preservation Committee, told members of the Senate Facilities and Operations Committee last week that crews would cut five-foot by five-foot holes into ceilings of both chambers in order to access an attic space in between the skylight and the current roof of the chambers and begin work.

Work on the project is expected to continue into the fall.

"We should have it all finished up and buttoned up by the end of November," Campos said.

The legislative chambers will remain open to the public during the construction work.

The skylight project is one of several ongoing construction projects on the Capitol campus.

In April, crews began to demolish the General Administration Building, which has been vacant since 2018. Initially opened in 1956, the space previously housed state offices. However, the building no longer meets structural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing or safety standards, and state officials determined it would be more expensive to remodel the building than replace it.

Prior to demolition, the building's historical artifacts, including a 315-square-foot mosaic mural that depicts the resources and industry of Washington and a large state seal of Washington, were removed and relocated to other areas of the Capitol campus.

Work to demolish the 283,865 square feet, six-story building on the Capitol campus is expected to be completed by November. The project is estimated to cost $16.5 million.

While there are not currently long-term plans for the site, it is expected to be reopened as a parking lot.

Construction on the Joel Pritchard Building, which sits south of the main Capitol building, began in November 2024 and is projected to be complete this summer. The project will modernize the building, which previously housed the Washington State Library. The Joel Pritchard Building was built in 1958 and is on the National Registry of Historic Places.

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This story was originally published June 3, 2026 at 7:10 PM.