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The historic Schmidt
House is used for weddings, meetings, retreats,
birthday parties, anniversary parties and
receptions.
Guests that use the house and grounds
for their outdoor wedding parties rave about the
beauty and peacefulness of the grounds and proclaim
it to be the "perfect site".
Schmidt House
Map &
Directions
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Schmidt
House Rental packet 2008
NOTE:The Schmidt House is not wheelchair accessible;
there are no overnight accommodations.
Please contact us at (360)
943-2550 or email us at
otf@olytumfoundation.org if you have questions. Office hours are
8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday thru Friday.
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The Schmidt House is located in Tumwater, Washington
and was built for Leopold F. Schmidt, founder of the
Olympia Brewing Company, in 1904. This elegant home
earned the nickname "Three Meter" and is the subject
of Schmidt family debate. The most prevalent version
is that workers in the old brewery below, hearing
the boisterous play of the young Schmidt boys in the
yard up the hill, jokingly stated that all the noise
reminded them of the battle of Three Meter Hill. The
name caught on and has been used down through the
years.
The House was expanded in 1910 to include what is
now the living room and master bedroom area on the
second floor. Leopold and his wife, Johanna, lived
there until their deaths in 1914 and in 1911,
respectively. After Leopold's death in 1914, Peter
G. Schmidt, Sr., Leopold's eldest son, took charge
of the business and moved his wife, Clara, and
family into the Schmidt House. In 1957
Peter G. Schmidt, Sr. died and three years later,
after Clara's death in 1960, the property was
purchased by the Olympia Brewing Company.
In 1983, Pabst Brewing Company purchased the Olympia
Brewing Company, including the Schmidt House. Pabst,
in turn, donated the House, along with the historic
files and memorabilia to the Olympia Tumwater
Foundation. Since that time, the House has been made
available to the community for weddings,
meetings, retreats, birthday parties,
anniversary parties and
receptions.
In January of 2000, Marie "Sis" Schmidt Strang,
second daughter of Clara and Peter Schmidt, Sr.,
died and left the bulk of her estate to the Olympia
Tumwater Foundation with the wish that the income be
used to maintain and operate the House and property
indefinitely. Since then, the grounds
have been improved and the House underwent several
major and minor reconstruction projects. Today, the
House renovation work is a continuous project, but
arranged around the rental calendar of scheduled
events.
The grounds also feature the Centennial Rose Garden
cared for by the Olympia Chapter of the American
Rose Society.
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