Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland Visits Olympia Armory

Thurston Talk: Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland Visits Olympia Armory By Molly Walsh n the morning of Friday, August 21, 2026, Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland visited the Olympia Armory, site of the future Daley Arts Center , for a “hard hat” tour of the building. Strickland was joined by City of Olympia Mayor Dontae Payne, Executive Director of the Thurston Economic Development Council , Michael Cade, City of Olympia staff and other community stakeholders. Valerie Roberts, building manager for the Olympia Armory, led the tour, sharing construction progress and insight on how the building may be used once it is open to the community. The tour included stops in the drill hall, classroom space and the mixed-use lower level. The building is currently under construction, with phase one updates encompassing necessary health and safety improvements to electrical, plumbing, fire safety, HVAC and lighting systems. Improvements are also being made to ensure the building is more accessible, including installation of an elevator. Once open, the Daley Arts Center will house communal space in addition to eight nonprofit anchor partners: the Bridge Music Project , Thurston Community Media , Olympia Film Collective , Hummingbird Studio , Capital City Pride , PARC Foundation , Olympia Lamplighters and Community Print . Strickland and her team helped to acquire $250,000 in competitive federal grant funding in support of the Daley Arts Center project. “When we think about budget challenges and all the priorities we have as a nation, sometimes people think about arts and culture as an extra, right, not a necessity,” said Strickland. “But this project has always been framed in the context of community building and economic development. And so you’re talking about tenants who provide services. You’re talking about artists who have a chance to actually be more successful and bring their products to market, and so I think the economic development impact with arts and culture is what made this compelling.” This key intersection between arts and economic development at the future Daley Arts Center will allow Thurston County residents to gather for creative classes, fundraising events, concerts and nonprofit programming. “It’ll really be a center point for artists and patrons and thinkers and creatives to work here and to be here and to really share resources and share the relationship with the city and share the relationship with the community,” says Michael Cade, executive director of the Thurston Economic Development Council . “It’s a really good thing.” The Daley Arts Center is expected to open in late 2027 or early 2028. To learn more about construction updates or plans for the Daley Arts Center, visit the City of Olympia website . ### 119th Congress Congress