About the Olympia Tumwater Foundation

The Olympia Tumwater Foundation (OTF) was established in 1950 by under the guidance of the Olympia Brewing Company’s founders and employees to be a “tax free corporation” so it could be used as the vehicle for receiving contributions to construct a replica of the Tivoli Fountain on the Capitol Campus. A substantial dollar amount was contributed by brewery employees and others for this construction.

In 1962, OTF built Brewery Park at Tumwater Falls (then Tumwater Falls Park) for the public to enjoy. In 1967, the first scholarship was awarded to a high school senior, starting our decades-long Education Program. In 1983, when the brewery was sold to the Pabst Brewing Company, the Schmidt House was donated to OTF. Since 2003, we have been the stewards of the Olympia Brewing Company corporate archives and the Schmidt family papers, which are kept at the Schmidt House.

We take pride in honoring what the Olympia Brewery and Schmidt family did for this community and try to embody this spirit by keeping Brewery Park at Tumwater Falls a relaxing and restorative natural area; offering the beautiful Schmidt House grounds for weddings, events, and history research; and providing financial opportunities for high school seniors and local educators.