Broke Illinois has piled up $9 billion in unpaid bills, but the state has spent millions of dollars since 2006 to restore its capitol. Publicly, Illinois officials have stressed the need to replace the inefficient heating and cooling system, but records show money has been used to return aesthetic features to their 1870s origins. That means hand painting decorative murals over solid cream panels, cleaning statues and fountains, conserving paintings — one 42-feet high — and reproducing bronze door hinges (cost for 12: $10,000).
“When people come to Springfield, especially the first time, they are incredibly impressed with our capitol,” Illinois Senate President John Cullerton, a Chicago Democrat, said. “But it was built in the 1870s so we need to constantly keep it functioning. But I think it really is a public treasure and we’re doing it in a responsible way.”
In many states, the work can’t wait: The buildings do not comply with modern fire safety and electrical codes and requirements under the Americans with Disabilities Act. They need security upgrades in an era of terrorism and random shootings. And ignoring a leaky roof just leads to more damage: Crews stuck a cafeteria tray and a recycling bin under drips in in the Pennsylvania Capitol. Stalactites hang from the Missouri Capitol basement.
Minnesota is typical. The stone exterior of the 1905, Cass Gilbert-designed Minnesota Capitol is deteriorating, so workers put up canopies to safeguard visitors from errant rocks. The mechanical, ventilation, plumbing and sprinkler systems are obsolete, jacking up operating costs. The electrical system needs a boost to meet the demands of computers, copiers and printers. And the physical layout is so confusing people get lost trying to find their legislator or a committee hearing.
For now, crews have started patching up the exterior marble. Democratic Gov. Dayton and lawmakers are close to agreeing on a long-term financing plan for the project, estimated to cost $241 million. Minnesota has a $627 million budget shortfall.
Financing repairs can be daunting. Oregon estimates its planned capitol renovations will cost around $250 million. Most states borrow the money, as they do for other major capital projects such as roads. Idaho used a portion of its cigarette tax revenue to pay for its capitol makeover. Private donations helped finance Oklahoma’s dome addition in 2002. Colorado is trying to raise $13 million in contributions to cover the bulk of the $17 million needed to complete the re-gilding of its distinctive 24-karat gold-covered dome. Figuring every dollar helps, Wisconsin sells $16 holiday ornaments to augment its capitol restoration fund.
Capitol upgrades can drag on for years: Nebraska hired architects in 1995 for its capitol facelift, but the project wasn’t completed until December 2010, and it took Iowa nearly two decades to finish its capitol restoration.
Special construction challenges and materials often inflate costs: Kansas replaced a 900-pound, 19th century chandelier hanging in its capitol with a $300,000 replica. Alabama spent $128,000 on Brinton carpet from England to match the design the 229-year-old company used when the building was constructed in the late 1800s. By contrast, Idaho saved about $3 million by installing less marble, substituting bronze hand rails for antique brass and ordering factory-made instead of hand-made windows.
Wikimedia Commons Photograph of Kansas State Capitol Building in Topeka, Kansas
Sometimes the renovations reveal long-hidden features. Crews tore out walls in the 154-year-old Tennessee Capitol to reveal the original brick vaults and Roman-style arches. Architects decided to incorporate them into the update. When workers ripped up carpeting in the 98-year-old Arkansas Capitol they found the original black and white tile floor, which they refurbished. Then there were the pair of gold-bordered black and white wingtip shoes workers found while updating the Illinois Capitol, reminders of a different era.
Symbols of State Pride
Despite the costs and disruptions, many state officials say refurbishing capitols is vital—not only to protect workers and visitors, but because of their powerful symbolism. "The restoration of the Capitol is a symbol of our efforts to restore confidence and performance in our state government," New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said last year. Cuomo was so passionate about the 12-year project in Albany that he supervised many of the details, right down to ordering the paint on walls to be changed from a glossy to matte finish.
Many state lawmakers view themselves as stewards of the state’s most significant building, a structure that is part museum, part office building, and the place where laws are made.
State Rep. Stephen Meeks spoke with pride of the six bronze Tiffany doors on the east front of the Arkansas Capitol that workers polish daily. State Rep. Johnny Shaw, an African-American lawmaker from Tennessee, said he reflects on the irony that he serves in a capitol that slaves helped build. State Sen. John Patton of Wyoming, which is planning a $50 million capitol restoration, said, “When I first walked in the House in 1967 and looked up at the stained glass ceiling, I was like, ‘What am I doing here?’ I still have that same reverence for the place today.”
Devotion to a capitol building can even lead to friendly rivalries between states. Minnesota Rep. Matt Dean, an architect, said last year during the legislative session that the austere 1930s North Dakota Capitol looked like a State Farm Insurance building compared to Minnesota’s, a grand building that echoes the US Capitol. Those were fighting words in North Dakota, whose governor and lawmakers denounced Dean, who apologized.
North Dakota senators and representatives could not resist pointing out that Minnesota had a multimillion-dollar budget shortfall while oil-rich North Dakota had a surplus.
“My initial response when I heard what he [Dean] said was, with their budget deficit and our surplus, maybe we should just buy their capitol,” said North Dakota Sen. Judy Lee.
Stateline staff writer Daniel C. Vock and researcher Mark Toner contributed to this report.
Courtesy of Pew State and Consumer Initiatives; Pew Charitable Trusts
Pages: 1 · 2
More Articles
- National Archives Records Lay Foundation for Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI
- Nichola D. Gutgold - The Most Private Roosevelt Makes a Significant Public Contribution: Ethel Carow Roosevelt Derby
- Department of Labor Awards $5M to Train, Expand Pathways for Women for Registered Apprenticeships, Nontraditional Occupations
- Oppenheimer: July 28 UC Berkeley Panel Discussion Focuses On The Man Behind The Movie
- Monetary Policy Report Prepared at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, Expectations for Future Growth Were Mostly Unchanged
- "Henry Ford Innovation Nation", a Favorite Television Show
- Julia Sneden Wrote: Going Forth On the Fourth After Strict Blackout Conditions and Requisitioned Gunpowder Had Been the Law
- Ferida Wolff Writes: This Holiday Season
- Jo Freeman Reviews: Gendered Citizenship: The Original Conflict Over the Equal Rights Amendment, 1920 – 1963
- Voting Rights: Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke Testifies Before the Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing; “One of the most monumental laws in the entire history of American freedom”