by Jerry Cornfield, Washington State Standard
December 9, 2024
The name is the same. Many tenants too.
But the Irving R. Newhouse Building set to formally open soon is nothing like the edifice it is replacing on the Washington state Capitol campus.
Those working inside will find it bigger, brighter, roomier, and safer than the nearly 90-year-old structure they toiled in before.
<h4>The man behind the name</h4> <figure><a href="https://washingtonstatestandard.com/0-3-9/"></a><i></i> Republican state Sen. Irving Newhouse of Washington in 1985. (Washington state archives)</p></figure><p><a href="https://src.wastateleg.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Irv-Newhouse-bio-WA-of-Distinction-BZ.pdf">Irving Ralph Newhouse</a> was a hops farmer who represented the 15th Legislative District in central Washington. He served in the state House from 1965 to 1980, and then in the Senate from 1980 until his retirement in 1999.</p><p>In the course of his legislative career, he held the office of House minority leader, served as Senate floor leader and Senate president pro tempore from 1996 to 1998. He earned a reputation as a skilled negotiator and parliamentarian.</p><p>Newhouse died in March 2001 at the age of 80, having spent nearly half his life in the Legislature. His commitment to public service passed to his son, Dan, who served four terms representing the 15th Legislative District, and won reelection this year to a sixth term in Congress.</p><p></div> </div> </p><p>Inside that now-demolished <a href="https://www.sos.wa.gov/about-office/from-our-corner/12354/A%20Fond%20Farewell%3A%20The%20Original%20Newhouse%20Building%2C%201934%20-%202023">two-story, 25,084-square-foot building</a>, their well-being was at risk from water leaks, a failing foundation, and a heating system <a href="https://des.wa.gov/services/facilities-and-leasing-management/capitol-campus-construction-projects/legislative-campus-modernization">described by state officials as “troublesome</a>.” Mechanical, electrical, plumbing and structural systems did not meet modern codes. Antiquated masonry created a threat of falling brick at the exits, officials said.</p><p>Conditions deteriorated for years until the state Legislature in 2021 approved an initial $69 million to tear down and replace the building and, in the process, remake that area of the campus. Escalating costs will push the final tab for design and construction to $94.7 million.</p><p>When the new building opens, it will be the first significant legislative structure erected on the core of the campus since the Joel M. Pritchard building in 1958. It is not the newest among all the buildings on the Capitol grounds. That distinction belongs to the Capitol Child Care Center, on the east side of Capitol Way, which opened in January 2023. The most recent office building was the Helen Sommers Building, completed in fall 2017.</p><figure><a href="https://washingtonstatestandard.com/img_1457/"></a><i></i> A wall inside the Newhouse Building is made of wood from the press houses, formerly on the capitol campus. (Laurel Demkovich/Washington State Standard)</p></figure><p>Demolition of the old Newhouse building occurred in 2023. Workers also knocked down the nearby Carlyon House and Louise Hanson duplex — better known as the Blue House and White House respectively — where the press corps had been encamped for years.</p><p>Senators and Republican caucus staff, who’ve spent the last couple years in a temporary building, have been moving into the new Newhouse over the past few weeks.</p><p>What a change. It is four stories with a basement and 59,240 square feet of space. There’s a centrally located staircase, floor-to-ceiling windows, a skylight and rooftop solar that will provide about 20% of the building’s power.</p><p>It’s on track to earn a gold rating as a green building based on the <a href="https://support.usgbc.org/hc/en-us/articles/4404406912403-What-is-LEED-certification">Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design</a>, or LEED, standards. Its use of salvaged Douglas fir wood and local Wilkeson sandstone reduced its carbon footprint in construction, and it has energy-efficient windows, well-insulated walls, and natural ventilation.</p><p>The first floor is home to a large meeting room. Lawmakers fill offices on the second and third floors with caucus staff on the fourth. Other entities, like the Legislative Support Services and the Legislative Ethics Board have offices there too.</p><figure><a href="https://washingtonstatestandard.com/img_1455/"></a><i></i> The art in the entryway of the Newhouse Building depicts the state’s flora and fauna. (Laurel Demkovich/Washington State Standard)</p></figure><p>The building has plenty of local flavor beyond just Washington-sourced construction materials. </p><p>Art installations by <a href="http://ryanfeddersen.com/about/">Ryan!</a>, an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, adorn the entryways.</p><p>Inside, architects designed what they call the “mixing chamber” — the social heart of the building — allowing light from the rooftop skylight to reach common spaces on all floor levels. Adjacent to the staircase, wood salvaged from the press houses was made into a permanent art installation, designed by Miller Hull, to showcase the history of the site.</p><p>Nick Clesi of <a href="https://millerhull.com/">The Miller Hull Partnership,</a> a Seattle-based architectural firm, said its team <a href="https://millerhull.com/project/newhouse-building-replacement/">set out</a> to achieve a modern interpretation of the <a href="https://www.architecturaldigest.com/gallery/neoclassical-architecture-explained">neoclassical architectural design</a> of existing buildings. “It looks like it belongs on the campus,” he said, adding he’s “eager to hear how others respond to the design.”</p> <h4>Many years, many tenants</h4> <p>When the original structure opened in 1934, it was known as the Highway Building because the Washington State Highway Department was its first occupant. Stone carvers chiseled the department’s name in the sandstone panels above the main entrance on the north side, according to <a href="https://des.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2022-06/NewhouseHABS-DocumentationReport2004-06-25.pdf">archival records</a>.</p><p>The name evolved as tenants changed. In the 1950s, it was the Labor & Industries Building and by the early 1960s, it had become the Institutions Building as employees of the state’s social and human services department occupied the majority of offices.</p><figure><a href="https://washingtonstatestandard.com/0-6-2/"></a><i></i> The Highway Building, built in 1934, was later renamed to honor Irving Newhouse, a longtime Republican state senator. (Washington state archives)</p></figure><p>In 1976, some senators and the lieutenant governor moved their offices temporarily into the building while structural repairs were completed to the Legislative Building. While the lieutenant governor returned to the confines of the Capitol, several Republican senators and caucus staff didn’t. And the old Newhouse building became their home in years since.</p><p>On Sept. 17, 1998, with longtime state lawmaker Irving Newhouse heading to retirement, the building was formally dedicated in his honor. State lawmakers signaled in 2023 their desire to retain the name on the new building .</p><p><em>Reporter Laurel Demkovich contributed to this story.</em></p><p><em>Editor’s note: This story was updated on Dec. 9 to make clear the building is not yet open to the public and the state Legislature supported retaining the name of the building.</em></p><style> figure, .tipContainer, .socContainer, .subscribeShortcodeContainer, .donateContainer {display:none !important;} .youtubeContainer { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; padding-top: 30px; height: 0; overflow: hidden; margin-bottom:12px; } .youtubeContainer iframe, .video-container object, .video-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100% !important; height: 100%; margin: 12px 0px !important; } .newsroomSidebar {width:35%;max-width:35%;padding:10px;border-top:solid 2px black;background-color:#d3d3d3;float:right;margin-left:50px;} .snrsInfoboxSubContainer {padding:10px;border-top:solid 2px black;background-color:#d3d3d3;} .halfwidth {float:right;width:50%;max-width:50%;} .indent2Container {margin-left: 1em;margin-bottom:1em; border-left: solid 1px black;padding-left: 2em;} @media only screen and (max-width: 600px) {.newsroomSidebar {max-width:95%;width:95%;margin-left:4%} .halfwidth {float:none;width:100%;max-width:100%;} }</style> <p><a href="https://washingtonstatestandard.com">Washington State Standard</a> is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. 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