In 1954, the State of Washington built a 279,000-sq-ft office building in Olympia, the state capital. Forty-three years later, air quality problems were noticed in the building, and it was realized that the ductwork had never been cleaned or vacuumed out.
The General Administration Building is a five-story structure with a basement. The building houses approximately 1,500 state employees and contractors. It is occupied by a variety of state agencies, with the largest tenant being the State of Washington General Administration Department.