Weekend Olympia Brewery fire underscores community efforts to rebuild

A firefighter puts out a fire at the Old Brewery Tower in Tumwater on June 6. The Tumwater Police Department determined the cause of the fire to be arson.

Janine Gates/Little Hollywood Media

TUMWATER — A fire that broke out Saturday at the empty Olympia Brewery was deemed the work of an arsonist, according to a press release from the Tumwater Police Department, and some local officials said the latest fire highlights the need to restore the community staple to its original glory. 

“There’s tremendous community attachment,” said John Doan, Tumwater City Administrator. “It’s second only to the capitol building in terms of iconic buildings in Thurston County.” 

Last weekend’s fire, which also affected a neighboring building on the property, didn’t result in extensive fire or structural damage to either building. However, Doan said a couple of other fires previously set on the property are cause for sadness in the community as Thurston County residents move forward in finding funding sources to restore the Olympia Brewery. 

“It was a place for decades that people were very proud of,” Doan told JOLT. “It’s where you took company. They want that again.”

The two fires on the property on Saturday were determined to be arson after Tumwater police officers found the source of the brewery tower fire in a pile of reclaimed wood. The recently rehabilitated exterior walls and new roof were spared from the fire, which was only limited to the old-growth timber beams set to be used for a project in the brewhouse. 

The recently-completed rehabilitation work on the Old Brewery Tower cost $2 million to replace brick, restore masonry and construct permanent roofs, according to the Tumwater Police Department, and seismic work and structural rehabilitation is scheduled for the summer. While a state historic grant will divert $500,000 to the project, Doan said, local efforts are underway to raise local funds to match the state money. There is as of yet no indication of how close the community is to matching the state grant. 

“We are moving aggressively to preserve the Old Brewhouse Tower and complete the rehabilitation,” said Mayor Pete Kmet in a press release. “Any setback is frustrating, but this is also an opportunity to harness the strong sentiment in the community and bring this building back to its grandeur.” 

The City of Tumwater acquired the Old Brewery Tower in April 2016 from Falls Development LLC.