TUMWATER, Wash. — The City of Tumwater hopes Gov. Jay Inslee can help preserve the historic building that put Olympia Beer on the map.
On Tuesday, Inslee met with city officials across the Deschutes River from the original brewery, which opened in 1906.
Since 2017, the city has spent nearly $3 million replacing thousands of bricks, the roof, gutters and windows on the old brewhouse.
"The craftsmanship was so beautiful - to restore that brick and the copper roof,” Inslee said. “It's really a gorgeous building."
The city took steps to preserve the building to help entice a private investor to develop the property into a new brewery, entertainment venue, hotel or tourist attraction, said City Administrator John Doan.
The city has plans to spend several million dollars getting the property up to code for seismic and Americans with Disabilities Act standards.
Doan said it would be nice to have the governor’s support when the city approaches the Legislature for financial help.
"We want to build on the past, recognize that history, celebrate it, and then use that to build an exciting future,” Doan said.
When asked if he would back such a request, Inslee said “hundreds of thousands” of dollars in state funding have already helped some of the recent preservation efforts, adding, ”We'll stand ready to listen to new proposals to move forward. I'm just glad we've kept part of Washington's tradition alive, and in such good condition now. We're really happy about that."
The Olympia Beer Company was founded by Leopold Schmidt in 1896 in Tumwater. It was later sold in 1983 to the G. Haileman Brewing Company and then again to Pabst Brewing Company. It was acquired by the Miller Brewing Company, which closed the Tumwater brewery. A private firm later bought Pabst – which also included Olympia. Production of the beer was suspended due to declining revenue.