After Olympia became the capital city of the Washington Territory in 1853, the city's founder, Edmund Sylvester, gave the legislature 12 acres (4.9 ha) of land upon which to build the capitol, located on a hill overlooking what is now known as Capitol Lake. In 1854, the first session of the Territorial Legislature took place in a two-story building in Olympia known as the Parker-Coulter Dry Goods store (a.k.a. the Gold Bar Restaurant).[3][4] The second and following sessions until 1856 met at the Masonic Hall.[5][6] In 1856, a wood-frame structure was completed, located on the present site between the Legislative and Insurance buildings, which would serve as the Capitol for 46 years until 1902.[7]