The Washington Center

Opened in 1985, our facility has played host to thousands of events, with almost 2,000,000 people crossing our threshold. Our history did not start in 1985, however. The Washington Center is really the grandchild of the old Liberty Theater, a 1924 vaudeville house which stood on the same ground the Washington Center does today. The Liberty Theater was renovated and refurbished in 1948, becoming the Olympic Theater movie house. The Olympic was then taken down to just a few exterior walls in the early 1980’s, and completely rebuilt as the Washington Center. While the building's facade still retains elements of the 1924 architecture, the interior is contemporary and modern. The Washington Center building is owned by the City of Olympia, and the Washington Center for the Performing Arts is a private, not-for-profit organization with a long-term contract to operate The Center. We are a real success story in public/private partnerships, with each party bringing its strengths to the table.