1951 Susan Parish Collection, Southwest Regional Archives
The Capital Park building, commonly known as the “1063 Building” after its address on Capitol Way, was erected in 1931 by the Dawley Brothers, who built several of the commercial buildings in Olympia’s core. It is a large masonry structure in the art moderne style. The building had several retail businesses on the ground floor, including the Sav-Mor grocery store shown in this photograph from 1951. Upstairs it housed lobbyists, radio stations, and law offices, including that of early female attorney Julia Waldrip Ker. The center of the building held a bowling alley and ballroom. The building was demolished and is the current (2027) site of the Helen Sommers Building.
Text © Deborah Ross and The Olympian