Tumwater, Wash. – The Olympia Tumwater Foundation has announced plans to transform and expand an existing building within Brewery Park at Tumwater Falls into the History & Nature Center—a welcoming new public space where people can discover the natural, cultural, and historic stories that have shaped one of Washington’s most treasured places. The renovated facility will feature exhibits, classrooms, and gathering space for year-round learning, school programs, and public events.
For more than sixty years, the Olympia Tumwater Foundation has preserved Brewery Park at Tumwater Falls as one of the Pacific Northwest’s most beloved public spaces. Each year, approximately 180,000 unique visitors make more than 270,000 visits to experience the park’s waterfalls, salmon runs, historic landscapes, and peaceful setting. The Center represents the Foundation’s next major investment in helping people not only enjoy the park—but also understand the remarkable stories that have shaped it.
“The Center represents an investment in the future of our community,” said Todd Cutts, Executive Director of the Olympia Tumwater Foundation. “People are naturally drawn to Tumwater Falls because of its beauty. Our vision is to create a place where visitors can also discover why this landscape matters—its ecology, its history, and the generations of people who have shaped and cared for it.”
The Center is designed to deepen the Brewery Park experience. After exploring the falls, people will be able to step inside to discover the stories of the landscape they have just experienced through engaging exhibits, flexible learning spaces, and opportunities for conversation and discovery.
Programming will include school field trips, family learning experiences, public programs, and rotating exhibits that bring the park to life. Visitors will explore topics ranging from salmon and watershed stewardship to the people and events that have shaped Tumwater Falls through engaging, place-based experiences.
The project also strengthens the Foundation’s collaboration with the adjacent Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife hatchery. Together, the two sites will provide complementary educational experiences that connect people with salmon biology, watershed stewardship, and the environmental significance of the Deschutes River corridor.
Development of the Center is well underway. The Foundation has assembled its project team and is advancing environmental review, schematic design, and permitting. Carve Architects is leading design of the facility, while Forma Construction has been selected through a competitive qualifications-based process to serve as General Contractor/Construction Manager. The project has secured significant federal and state support and continues to be strengthened by generous gifts from individuals, businesses, foundations, and local partners. Construction is expected to begin in early 2027 with operations expected to commence in the second half of the year.
“For more than 75 years, the Olympia Tumwater Foundation has been entrusted with caring for this extraordinary place,” said Lee Wojnar, President of the Olympia Tumwater Foundation. “The Center reflects our commitment to ensuring that future generations not only enjoy Tumwater Falls but also understand why it has been worth preserving for generations past.”
As the Foundation advances the project, community members, businesses, and supporters are invited to help bring the vision to life. Gifts of every size will support development of the Center and its educational programming. People may also participate by becoming members of Friends of the Falls, the Foundation’s community stewardship program. During the program’s first two years, Friends of the Falls membership revenue will directly support development of the Center while strengthening the long-term stewardship of Brewery Park at Tumwater Falls.
Additional information about the Center, giving opportunities, and Friends of the Falls can be obtained by emailing ot*@**************on.org.
