Washington's Governor's Mansion, the oldest structure still standing on the State Capitol Campus, was erected in a hurry and never intended to last. It was built in 1908 as a place for the governor to entertain visiting dignitaries headed to Seattle for the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition of 1909-10. Designed by Tacoma architects Russell and Babcock, the red brick Georgian Revival mansion cost just $35,000 to build. Its style reflected a widespread interest in Colonial-era architecture that was sparked by the U.S. Centennial of 1876. The style would remain very popular, in a variety of forms, right up through the 1940s.

When construction of the new Capitol Campus began in 1912, it was fully expected that the governor's "temporary" mansion would be torn down. Campus architects Wilder and White reserved the space on their site plan for an office building that matched the rest of their Neoclassical scheme. But somehow, in spite of a host of structural problems, the Governor's Mansion endured. Seven new rooms were added during extensive renovation in the early 1970s, bringing the total number of rooms to 26. At the same time the mansion was furnished with a fine collection of American, British and French antiques from the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

The Governor's Mansion is located next door to the Legislative Building. It is included as part of the Washington State Capitol Historic District on both the National and Washington State Register of Historic Places as well as the Olympia Heritage Register. The Governor's Mansion is open to the public on most Wednesday afternoons. For tour reservations call the State Capitol Visitor Center at (360) 586-8687.

Executive (Governor's) Mansion. ©Jeffers Studio postcard from a private collection.