Shelters house quake victims

Downtown building hopes to reopen quickly

Michael Burnham, The Olympian

OLYMPIA -- The owner of The Olympian Apartments, heavily damaged in Wednesday's earthquake, hopes to reopen the historic downtown building soon.

"We've walked the whole building and we cannot find any major structural issues," said owner Tom Anderson.

The building's exterior and elevator were damaged in the quake.

City code inspectors on Wednesday placed a red tag on the former hotel, built in 1919 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The red tag means the building is unfit for occupancy.

City officials are uncertain when the building will be fit for occupancy.

Fifteen residents displaced from the building stayed at a Red Cross shelter at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church on the city's west side Wednesday night, said Kay Walters, Thurston/Mason County Red Cross director.

The shelter will remain open until Saturday, when Red Cross officials will assess the need to continue the operation.

An additional woman displaced by the quake secured shelter Wednesday night though the Family Support Center's Emergency Shelter Network, which serves as a placement clearinghouse for Thurston County's homeless shelters.

The woman was referred to the Red Cross shelter Thursday morning, said ESN Program Director Ann Matthews.

Michael Burnham covers Olympia for The Olympian.

The Olympian Copyright 2000

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