Kurt Cobain Hangout Capitol City Studios in Olympia Burns Down

Kurt Cobain is often linked to Seattle but actually spent more of his most creative years living in Olympia and he wrote an estimated 75% of Nirvana’s song while living there. One of his hangouts in our state’s capitol city was a converted church that was called Capitol City Studios. Firefighters responded overnight to the location, the old Capitol City Studios and the former home of Olympia Film Society after reports of a fire at the building.

When firefighters arrived, the building was fully engulfed in flames and smoke poured from the structure. They managed to rescue a woman from the roof but after they got her to safety she ran away. The building at Pear St. & 4th Ave E was largely abandoned in recent years and home to many transients. Firefighters have been to the building several times in recent years to extinguish small fires that have been set by transients.

The 75-year-old building was local icon in Olympia – It originally was built as a church to house
the Foursquare Gospel Church of Olympia. It then served as the home of the Olympia Film Society and Capitol City Records. Kurt Cobain and other musicians used to hang out on the front steps.

Video courtesy of KIRO TV.

Photos courtesy of KOMO news Twitter Feed

#BREAKING crews letting old Capitol City Studios bldg burn. Walls collapsing. No one injured. Live @6am. #liveonkomo pic.twitter.com/IjZdW7UXeX

— lee stoll (@LeeStoll) April 20, 2015