History
Lake Washington Technical College was founded in 1949 by the Lake Washington School District as an adult vocational training program. At first only offering a sewing program, it expanded to other vocations over the years including automotive, culinary arts and engineering. In 1978, local taxpayers passed a bond issue to construct a new facility for the school. A site North of Kirkland near Totem Lake was chosen and the school opened by 1983. In 1991 LWTC became independent of the school district and on September 1, 1991 the institute became a degree-granting technical college with all the rights and responsibilities of a technical college as prescribed by state law. The school dental program was initiated in the Fall of 1996, the state's first new program in 22 years.
Additions were added to the school including a new administration building in 1994. Ground was broken on August 12, 2002 for a new 60,000-square-foot (5,600 m2) $17 million technology building adjoining the administration (or West Building) that was to add twenty classrooms and a new multi-level library facility to the school. The building was designed by architect Harry Cummings of Cummings & Associates with input from faculty, students and regional employers.
The college expanded in 2004 with a satellite campus in Redmond replacing a small training building owned by the school that was formerly a missile-repair shop built during the Cold War as part of the Nike Ajax missile-defense system. The 21,000-square-foot (2,000 m2) building features five classrooms, a library, auditorium and office and eating spaces.
On April 18, 2011, Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire signed Substitute Senate Bill 5664 to change the name of Lake Washington Technical College to Lake Washington Institute of Technology. The name change took effect on July 22, 2011.
In 2011, LWIT opened it's new 83,000-square-foot (7,700 m2) Allied Health building, housing the college's ever expanding health services programs.
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