This was posted on TulsaNow, it brings up a good question that needs to be answered


So my serious proposal is this. The state capital building is ugly, the only redeeming feature is the sculpture at the top, the complex around the capital is worse and it’s in a miserable part of the city.

Tear it down. Move the capital.

Take the $120 million and build a shiny new capital building as the center piece of Core to Shore.

Really.

I disagree that the capital is in a bad part of town. As others have said, it gets worse east of it, but south of the Capitol complex is one of OKC's hidden jewels...a neighborhood that was once a part of the wonderful Heritage Hills/Mesta Park neighborhood before I-235 tore through and sealed that area off from the rest of the city. With some investment and streetcar access it could be the next Plaza, Midtown, etc.

However, I am going to agree with you that I would much rather see the Capitol in the immediate downtown area like they have in Austin. Unfortunately, I don't trust the state of Oklahoma to have OKC's best interest in mind and if they built a new one, the city might be stuck with a monstrosity right in the middle of downtown, not too different from the new Federal building in Midtown.

I'm no authority, but I work at the capitol complex and have for years. I walk around it quite a bit and about 200 feet to the North of the building is 23rd street, which is 6 lane and underground at this point. I was walking above 23rd the other day and a semi truck blew through there and you could kind of feel it as he went through.

It makes you wonder if all these years of traffic vibrations are taking its toll on the building ?

You would have to misrepresent yourself as a lobbyist to get an audience.

Cheap shot. While you may not agree with their actions, all legislators keep office hours. If you call ahead, their assistants will be glad to set up a visit, contributions or no contributions. This is true on both sides of the aisle in both Chambers.

This was posted on TulsaNow, it brings up a good question that needs to be answered


So my serious proposal is this. The state capital building is ugly, the only redeeming feature is the sculpture at the top, the complex around the capital is worse and it’s in a miserable part of the city.

Tear it down. Move the capital.

Take the $120 million and build a shiny new capital building as the center piece of Core to Shore.

Really.

**capitol**

There's a difference between "capitol" and "capital".

I disagree, I think our State Capitol is quite beautiful. Although, I would like for the area surrounding the complex to be more dense, and somehow do away with the freeway-like status of Lincoln and 23rd.

This was posted on TulsaNow, it brings up a good question that needs to be answered


So my serious proposal is this. The state capital building is ugly, the only redeeming feature is the sculpture at the top, the complex around the capital is worse and it’s in a miserable part of the city.

Tear it down. Move the capital.

Take the $120 million and build a shiny new capital building as the center piece of Core to Shore.

Really.

You must not know OKC very well.

The northeast side isn't bad. It's not great either. It holds a special place. It contains some of our highest and lowest land values within a mile of each other. It contains a lot of our mid-century modern landmarks, many of which are languishing. It contains our best underrated asset that keeps growing, which is probably the medical district. It also contains a planning disaster, which is Lincoln Blvd. However, sometimes the easiest thing to fix is the worst thing in any given city that nobody cares about.

The city is doing its part. We're putting all of our CDBG and affordable housing resources currently into the inner northeast side. We don't have much in the way of housing resources because the state likes to allocate 1 award per city in any given funding round, putting us on the same level as not just Tulsa, but also Ponca and Tahlequah. It's insane. We have a program called Strong Neighborhoods Initiative (SNI) which is an umbrella consolidation of CDBG-esque resources. The neighborhood south of the Capitol, east of Lincoln, is the current focus. Because OKC gets uniquely minimal funding for housing (sorry Speck and urbanized's English prof), we have to pick 1 neighborhood at a time, unlike most major cities. Historically the JFK neighborhood was the focus before (Douglass HS area). These are not bad areas once they are improved. JFK is a huge success.

Really what is holding the northeast side back is the state's property management or lack thereof. NE 23rd is dead because in order to get to the revitalizing part of 23rd, you have to go through 3 highway interchanges (2 at Lincoln, why??). 23rd / Lincoln has got to be fixed. That neighborhood north of 23rd behind the fugly history center is especially wrecked. Beautiful 1-story English tudor homes, not unlike $200,000 houses in Gatewood or Edgemere. Same house, other side of the capitol. I'm amazed that Lincoln's Terrace is no longer the war zone it once was, but homes of that grandeur won't languish in the same way that vernacular building stock will.

If a new state capital is built in C2S, well there goes C2S... I'm not saying to keep a bad thing in a bad area, but repeating this cycle is truly hopeless. Stopping the cycle and knocking some heads together is the only hope we have. The state has systematically built a void around the capital with the funds with which it should have been repairing and maintaining the capital. The program with which that expensive void was assembled was called "Lincoln Renaissance," which who can argue with that? They had great plans, for which they needed to do some land assembly, then the rug was pulled out from under it after Brad Henry left office. That's the story here.

At a certain point it's so bad that the only way out is by refocusing on what we've done. The parking lots have to go. The state needs to unload all of that lend that they will realistically either A, never need; or B, not need in the next 20 years. Sell it at whatever profit can be made. It is time for some structured parking. It is ****ing 2015. Just design a parking garage with a tall ingress clearance so some bumpkin "legislator" from Sapulpa or Sallisaw or wherever can park his giant asinine truck and call it a day.

(I obviously have too much contempt for these "legislators" to be effective in lobbying them, but good luck to those who try! Take 'em skeet shootin or something)

It would cost far more than $120 million to build something like the state Capitol building today. That much marble and limestone... It would probably cost 10 times that amount, or more. You can't just look at inflation and say "we spent this much 100 years ago, so we can get the same thing today for this much". Doesn't work that way. Construction costs are far higher today.

Labor. Materials. Risk. Land. That and many more new costs.

Labor. Materials. Risk. Land. That and many more new costs.


Well at more than $600 per square foot to REPAIR the capitol building we must be guilding the damn place. It makes no sense.

Well at more than $600 per square foot to REPAIR the capitol building we must be guilding the damn place. It makes no sense.

Where are you getting that per SF number?

Where are you getting that per SF number?

Sorry, the math I got from the other post was a little off. The building is 450,000 square feet and the state has already allocated a massive $120 million or about $267 per square foot to repair the building. But that isn’t enough, they want another $124 million bringing the total cost up to $542 per square foot. That’s not counting the $65 million for a parking garage, landscaping and archway to show off the grandeur of the state that has cut the most education spending nationally, by far.

$542 per square foot for repairs? Almost DOUBLE the square foot cost to construct the Devon tower?

Seriously, the building is just a large mid-rise box with a big dome on top and marble façade. And the dome is newish. What on earth is so expensive?

Sorry, the math I got from the other post was a little off. The building is 450,000 square feet and the state has already allocated a massive $120 million or about $267 per square foot to repair the building. But that isn’t enough, they want another $124 million bringing the total cost up to $542 per square foot. That’s not counting the $65 million for a parking garage, landscaping and archway to show off the grandeur of the state that has cut the most education spending nationally, by far.

$542 per square foot for repairs? Almost DOUBLE the square foot cost to construct the Devon tower?

Seriously, the building is just a large mid-rise box with a big dome on top and marble façade. And the dome is newish. What on earth is so expensive?

I have to wonder if you've ever visited the Capitol building with your comments. Your ignorance of modern building codes is also showing. The earlier "repairs" were concentrated in limited areas (restrooms, 1st floor west, etc). The lack of any climate control in the public areas is criminal. THat lack is causing irreparable damage to the artwork. I could go on, but my time on the soapbox is almost up.

Sorry, the math I got from the other post was a little off. The building is 450,000 square feet and the state has already allocated a massive $120 million or about $267 per square foot to repair the building. But that isn’t enough, they want another $124 million bringing the total cost up to $542 per square foot. That’s not counting the $65 million for a parking garage, landscaping and archway to show off the grandeur of the state that has cut the most education spending nationally, by far.

$542 per square foot for repairs? Almost DOUBLE the square foot cost to construct the Devon tower?

Seriously, the building is just a large mid-rise box with a big dome on top and marble façade. And the dome is newish. What on earth is so expensive?

Your math isn't a little off. It's a lot off.

You're just objecting to state dollars being spent in the state's largest city by far...

Restoration of historic structures has to be more costly than new construction i'd think. Imagine replacing plumbing and wiring on a 5 story 100 year old building with extremely high ceilings. They've also done a restore of the exterior surfaces as well with scaffolding all the way to the top floor.

Restoration of historic structures has to be more costly than new construction i'd think. Imagine replacing plumbing and wiring on a 5 story 100 year old building with extremely high ceilings. They've also done a restore of the exterior surfaces as well with scaffolding all the way to the top floor.

HP isn't that much more expensive, but we're talking about a nearly all-marble and granite building, to which a cap was added that it could never structurally support.

Swake is double counting things to cover up how far his rhetoric got ahead of himself.

Your math isn't a little off. It's a lot off.

You're just objecting to state dollars being spent in the state's largest city by far...

Why don't you show where my math is off.

Here's more math:

The state is facing a budget shortfall this year of between $600 million and ONE BILLION dollars. State education spending has decreased more than 15% since 2008 on an inflation adjusted and per pupil basis. We can’t even hire enough teachers anymore because the pay and conditions are so bad. The Oklahoma Health Care Authority is already cutting Medicare and SoonerCare payments by 3% this year and have cut $446 million in healthcare for the poor since 2010. Prisons are only staffed for 65% of the amount needed for our prison population.

But by God let’s spend $542 per square foot to restore our capitol. And do it now.

Energy slump, policies contribute to state?s budget shortfall | Examiner Enterprise (http://examiner-enterprise.com/news/local-news/energy-slump-policies-contribute-state-s-budget-shortfall)

Energy slump, policies contribute to state?s budget shortfall | Examiner Enterprise (http://examiner-enterprise.com/news/local-news/energy-slump-policies-contribute-state-s-budget-shortfall)

Budget cuts hurt SoonerCare, official warns | News OK (http://newsok.com/article/5466862)

The state capitol building showed signs of inefficiencies (crumbling) before it was crowned with a long overdue dome. The addition of the dome structure only hastened what was needed to be done in the first place.

This is our state house, a centerpiece for Oklahoma's government. At one time it was the only Roman Corinthian style capitol building without a dome.

Don't know what the final price tag will be for repairs; however, we need to get this completed.

I know that there are concerns that an additional penny sales tax increase for education could cause problems for OKC future MAPS IV momentum (no new taxes). We need to address the concerns of State Education and those aging building on the capitol grounds in need of repairs. The attention to the badly needed capitol buildings' repairs has been put on hold for far too long.


https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSwMoZ36RLoS0AXv-hzNwP2SpGAOm1hc6s7pH3m05_9Gth2l8rd https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS2eAxHxZI4XPYYOA59SFWEBRd0wIv59 TFmwMJ8JAt2Jf-D5oc4 https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQlJyQ54pl2UD4Q74jGf01rzDoRjRKHJ ob6WWsKUL9zPLoh0Mm9Oklahoma City should be a proud capital. The capitol buildings are our show piece.

Maybe these shortfalls will force more consolidation of school districts, which should have been deeper in 1987. If they really want to fix education, they need to get rid of the top heavy administrative redundancies. Check out the number of school districts Oklahoma has compared to Florida, which has 3 times the number of students ? You will be shocked, even within our region our administrative overhead is way out of line.

But this is for another thread -

I agree Laramie. As for the tax issue, the people of Oklahoma are the ones who decided to live inefficiently and for the most part have vehemently rejected any attempt to live with their means so it is time to shut up and pay up.

Why don't you show where my math is off.

Here's more math:

The state is facing a budget shortfall this year of between $600 million and ONE BILLION dollars. State education spending has decreased more than 15% since 2008 on an inflation adjusted and per pupil basis. We can’t even hire enough teachers anymore because the pay and conditions are so bad. The Oklahoma Health Care Authority is already cutting Medicare and SoonerCare payments by 3% this year and have cut $446 million in healthcare for the poor since 2010. Prisons are only staffed for 65% of the amount needed for our prison population.

But by God let’s spend $542 per square foot to restore our capitol. And do it now.

Energy slump, policies contribute to state?s budget shortfall | Examiner Enterprise (http://examiner-enterprise.com/news/local-news/energy-slump-policies-contribute-state-s-budget-shortfall)

Energy slump, policies contribute to state?s budget shortfall | Examiner Enterprise (http://examiner-enterprise.com/news/local-news/energy-slump-policies-contribute-state-s-budget-shortfall)

Budget cuts hurt SoonerCare, official warns | News OK (http://newsok.com/article/5466862)

Do you actually believe that capitol complex spending is the reason that the state doesn't have any money for anything?

The state capitol building showed signs of inefficiencies (crumbling) before it was crowned with a long overdue dome. The addition of the dome structure only hastened what was needed to be done in the first place.

This is our state house, a centerpiece for Oklahoma's government. At one time it was the only Roman Corinthian style capitol building without a dome.

Don't know what the final price tag will be for repairs; however, we need to get this completed.

I know that there are concerns that an additional penny sales tax increase for education could cause problems for OKC future MAPS IV momentum (no new taxes). We need to address the concerns of State Education and those aging building on the capitol grounds in need of repairs. The attention to the badly needed capitol buildings' repairs has been put on hold for far too long.


https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSwMoZ36RLoS0AXv-hzNwP2SpGAOm1hc6s7pH3m05_9Gth2l8rd https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS2eAxHxZI4XPYYOA59SFWEBRd0wIv59 TFmwMJ8JAt2Jf-D5oc4 https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQlJyQ54pl2UD4Q74jGf01rzDoRjRKHJ ob6WWsKUL9zPLoh0Mm9Oklahoma City should be a proud capital. The capitol buildings are our show piece.

AGREE! Welll said

HP isn't that much more expensive, but we're talking about a nearly all-marble and granite building, to which a cap was added that it could never structurally support.

Swake is double counting things to cover up how far his rhetoric got ahead of himself.

I've never seen anything about the structure not being able to support the dome, only that the cast stone cladding exhibited cracks, not related to any structural problems.

Do you actually believe that capitol complex spending is the reason that the state doesn't have any money for anything?

Where did I say that?

Anyway, How we got here is irrelevant as we are here right now. The state is broke and not fulfilling its real obligations. Make those idiots at the capitol building, you know the ones that actually put Oklahoma in this budget situation, work in a crap hole until they fix the state's real issues. Might be good for them.

I also notice that you aren't addressing your claim that my math is bad. My math is correct, the ask is for $542 per square foot for repairs. That is insane.

Where did I say that?

Anyway, How we got here is irrelevant as we are here right now. The state is broke and not fulfilling its real obligations. Make those idiots at the capitol building, you know the ones that actually put Oklahoma in this budget situation, work in a crap hole until they fix the state's real issues. Might be good for them.

I also notice that you aren't addressing your claim that my math is bad. My math is correct, the ask is for $542 per square foot for repairs. That is insane.

The state declared a revenue failure today. The projected deficit is $900.8 million.
State agencies told to brace for revenue failure as $900 million budget hole expected next year - Tulsa World: Capitol Report (http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/capitol_report/state-agencies-told-to-brace-for-revenue-failure-as-million/article_b3c4bc20-9b17-59c4-8ebb-bd074d4d45d8.html)

My priority is for spending on people such as Sooner Care, Education, prison staffing, etc. over edifices. Lock the place up and let the legislature work out of double wides.

Contractors: $122 million more needed to finish capitol renovation project | KFOR.com (http://kfor.com/2016/01/08/contractors-122-million-more-needed-to-finish-capitol-renovation-project/)

Sheesh. Starting to wonder if it might of been cheaper to have built a big one story structure over near Choctaw.
</snark>

Lots of empty buildings downtown politicians can rent out to save some cash.... Ah who are we kidding

Lots of empty buildings downtown politicians can rent out to save some cash.... Ah who are we kidding

Actually there is not a lot of empty space downtown. Have you checked the vacancy space recently? Besides that, the capitol renovation has nothing to do with not having enough space and I'm sure you're not suggesting that the state should just abandon the capitol building. LOL

Nm

My priority is for spending on people such as Sooner Care, Education, prison staffing, etc. over edifices. Lock the place up and let the legislature work out of double wides.

What about the other State agencies who are housed there? (State Treasurer, Secretary of State, etc) They aren't exactly awash in $$$. Doublewides for them too?

Oh come on now, we all knew when we built this capitol on the cheap during MAPS 0 that we'd eventually have to pour more money into it to keep our legislature from moving to another state...

oh, wait...

What about the other State agencies who are housed there? (State Treasurer, Secretary of State, etc) They aren't exactly awash in $$$. Doublewides for them too?

I should have put the [s] next to my comment. However I do feel it should not be a matter of whether or not the capitol gets repaired or more state services are cut. I believe the choice should be, should the capitol be repaired or should production taxes, income taxes be reduced, or should unaccountable tax credits be continued?

What im surprised at is the fact that they expected a renovation project (of a 100 year old building) to go according to plan. How many of us find zero surprises when we do home renovations? Anyone? You have to KNOW you're going to have surprises that are going to cost a lot more money. They should have padded 50% in the original cost. Then we'd be looking at a far lower amount needed now. What they're basically going to have to do now is cut off renovations somewhere in the building and come back in 15 years (sad as it is).

What im surprised at is the fact that they expected a renovation project (of a 100 year old building) to go according to plan. How many of us find zero surprises when we do home renovations? Anyone? You have to KNOW you're going to have surprises that are going to cost a lot more money. They should have padded 50% in the original cost. Then we'd be looking at a far lower amount needed now. What they're basically going to have to do now is cut off renovations somewhere in the building and come back in 15 years (sad as it is).

They're complete and total dumbasses for not allowing for contingencies. Very similar to OKC and Project 180 (gosh, there are basements under the buildings that go into the street, wow, who woulda thunk?). Again, why can't this damn state (and city, at times) figure stuff out that other entities (countries, cities, etc.) have known for decades, if not centuries?

You're right. Other places never underestimate the cost of projects.

The state capitol building with its Roman Corinthian style architecture represents Oklahoma and Oklahoma City as its state capital. Much like a cathedral of a U. S. archdiocese; this is the mother house--much like the face of Oklahoma.

Recall so many times that we hosted relatives here from Texas, Kansas & California. They weren't impressed with our dome-less Roman Corinthian style capitol. The dome really put a crown that truly complemented that structure.

Senate staff moves into renovated space at Oklahoma Capitol | News OK (http://newsok.com/senate-staff-moves-into-renovated-space-at-oklahoma-capitol/article/5472775)

NewsOK Videos | First interior Capitol refurb completed (http://newsok.com/multimedia/video/4706860168001)

You're right. Other places never underestimate the cost of projects.

Probably not as consistently as it is done here.
P180
AICCM
Walnut St Bridge
MAPS 1 - 3
Sidewalks
Recent ice storm cleanup
And the list goes on and on.

What happened with the Walnut St. bridge? I am not familiar with that.

Probably not as consistently as it is done here.
P180
AICCM
Walnut St Bridge
MAPS 1 - 3
Sidewalks
Recent ice storm cleanup
And the list goes on and on.

And the Skydance bridge warping debacle, the bridge repair (welding) debacle, and the P180 crosswalks debacle, and .....

So yeah, other places *do* underestimate projects, but we seem to be stuck in a self-feedback-closed-loop in that we always think we know what we're doing, but we don't, and can't recognize that.

And the Skydance bridge warping debacle, the bridge repair (welding) debacle, and the P180 crosswalks debacle, and .....

So yeah, other places *do* underestimate projects, but we seem to be stuck in a self-feedback-closed-loop in that we always think we know what we're doing, but we don't, and can't recognize that.

Other places occasionally underestimate projects. Oklahoma seems to specialize in it.

Where did I say that?

Anyway, How we got here is irrelevant as we are here right now. The state is broke and not fulfilling its real obligations. Make those idiots at the capitol building, you know the ones that actually put Oklahoma in this budget situation, work in a crap hole until they fix the state's real issues. Might be good for them.

I also notice that you aren't addressing your claim that my math is bad. My math is correct, the ask is for $542 per square foot for repairs. That is insane.

You're right, but I don't underestimate the expense that repairing marble, granite, stone, etc. It's a bad situation all-around. I actually really like your idea of making them work in a craphole, but the problem with that is that most of them are actually from a craphole. Then you're just making them feel right at home.

If we could just keep the building standing, mitigate the parking land mass that has really hurt surrounding neighborhoods, and still yet inflict pain when people come to 23rd and Lincoln, I'm all for it. My recommendation is a road diet and giant speed bumps on Lincoln Blvd that makes it impossible for big hemi pickups. Create a "truck route" that goes through the severely impoverished Capitol View hood. For those coming from the south, we'd have to get creative to find some blight. Maybe a new exit right at the AICC, a detour through JFK, and then come in on East 23rd.

New suggestion for Oklahoma Capitol refurb: Another $125 million | NewsOK.com (http://m.newsok.com/another-125-million/article/5480936)


Another $125 million would be available for the state Capitol repair and refurbishment project under a bill that passed a House committee on Wednesday.

The additional bonding authority would be in addition to $120 million in bond financing the Legislature has already authorized for the work.

You're right. Other places never underestimate the cost of projects.

By 100%? Incredible...

I would be fired twice before I could blink if I under estimated a project by 100%

I can't believe they're estimating this much to REPAIR a capitol building that is much younger than many of its peers across the country.
It seems the politicians in OKC want their Taj Mahal, their palace, to do their bidding.

They need to re-define what's necessity and stick with the original price tag and/or find a new contractor(s).

Construction to begin on Oklahoma Capitol repair, renovation

By: Tim Talley Associated Press March 28, 2016 0

OKLAHOMA CITY – It took three years and $1.5 million to build Oklahoma’s Capitol building a century ago. It will take at least six years and as much as $245 million to prepare the building for its next 100 years.

Plans and design work to repair and renovate the 452,000-square-foot building are almost complete and, beginning this summer, workers in hardhats will be as common in and around the historic building as lawmakers in suits and tourists in sportswear as work begins on an extensive project to restore and update the structure.

Construction crews will hit all corners of the six-level structure, from the depths of its basement – with its chipped and buckling terrazzo floor – to the top of its stately dome that was completed in 2002 – 85 years after the building was occupied.

“Every square inch of this building needs to be touched at some point,” said Trait Thompson, Capitol project manager for the Oklahoma Office of Management and Enterprise Services.

Inside and out, workers will repair and replace the Capitol building’s aging infrastructure – updating plumbing, electrical and mechanical systems according to highly detailed plans and specifications drawn up by a team of experts who have spent 8,000 hours assessing the current state of the structure, Thompson said.

“We don’t want to do a project halfway. We want to do it right,” he said.

Throughout the project, the Capitol will remain open and continue to function as the seat of state government, an office building for hundreds of state workers and a tourist attraction visited by thousands of people each year.

“There’s going to be noise. There’s going to be dust. There’s going to be inconvenience,” Thompson said. But project organizers estimate keeping the building open and functioning during the repairs will save $7 million in relocation costs.

Construction of the state Capitol was launched July 20, 1914, when Oklahoma’s second governor, Lee Cruce, used a pick axe to break ground during a ceremony that historical photos show was attended by hundreds of people, some of whom traveled to the site in horse-drawn carriages.

The reinforced-concrete building was occupied in June 1917, just two months after the United States declared war on Germany and entered World War I. A planned dome that was part of the Capitol’s original design was shelved due to a lack of money and steel during the war.

“Running out of money is sort of the constant story of this building,” Thompson said. “At no time in the Capitol’s history has anything like this been attempted.”

The rehabilitation project was formally launched almost two years ago following legislative passage of a $120 million bond issue dedicated to Capitol repairs and renovation. Legislation authorizing another $125 million for the project has been approved by the House and is pending in the Senate.

When she signed the bill authorizing the spending two years ago, Gov. Mary Fallin decried what had become of the building.

“The disrepair it had fallen into was a black eye for the entire state,” she said then.

Beginning in July, between 30 and 40 workers are scheduled to begin repairing the Capitol’s exterior and its 200,000 square feet of stone facade in a project expected to last more than three years.

“You’ll see scaffolding go up,” Thompson said. “Every stone is assigned a number. Every window is assigned a number.”

The structure’s exterior is composed mainly of white limestone from Indiana with a base of Oklahoma pink granite originally quarried from an area near Tishomingo known as the Ten-Acre Rock.

Since 2011, barricades have cordoned off the south side of the Capitol to prevent visitors from climbing the steps leading to the south portico after chunks of mortar and pieces of limestone began falling from the building facade.

During the project, 477 of the Capitol’s 512 windows will be restored, 240 cracked and damaged stones will be repaired or replaced and 21 miles of mortar joints will be repaired, Thompson said. Interior renovations begin in September; workers will also install emergency power generators.

Details of the project

COST: Estimated at $245 million; $120 million in bonds authorized by Oklahoma Legislature and another $125 million bond issue pending.

DURATION: Exterior work to begin in July and taken an estimated 3.5 years; interior work to begin in September and take an estimated six years.

EXTERIOR REPAIRS

• Eleven levels of scaffolding to be erected.

• Repair 21 miles of mortar joints.

• Repair 240 cracked or damaged stones.

• Restore 477 windows.

• Restore 43,000 pounds of cast iron.

• Expand exterior loading dock.

• Replace exterior doors.

• Partial roof replacement.

• Repair exterior stairs, plazas, sidewalks and battlements.

• Repair east tunnel.

INTERIOR REPAIRS

• Replace 3,600 linear feet of plumbing piping.

• Replace 4.55 miles of heating, ventilation and air conditioning piping.

• Replace 13,500 of ductwork.

• Remove 460 tons of hazardous asbestos-containing material.

• Remove 65 miles of abandoned cabling.

• Add 420 tons of cooling to provide air conditioning to the Capitol rotunda.

• Add natural gas service to power new emergency generators.

• Add of a new visitor entrance on the southeast corner of the building.

• Replace and enhance fire alarms and add fire suppression systems.

• Add stairwells at dead-end corridors to address fire code issues and improve vertical access.

http://journalrecord.com/2016/05/26/senate-approves-125m-in-bonds-for-oklahoma-capitol-repairs-capitol/

http://journalrecord.com/2016/05/26/senate-approves-125m-in-bonds-for-oklahoma-capitol-repairs-capitol/

Senate approves $125M in bonds for Oklahoma Capitol repairs

By: Sean Murphy Associated Press May 26, 2016

OKLAHOMA CITY – Renovations to the Oklahoma Capitol will reach $245 million after the Senate gave final approval on Thursday to a second bond issue to complete repairs to the nearly 100-year-old building.

The bill, approved on a 30-16 vote, authorizes the sale of $125 million in bonds. The measure heads to Gov. Mary Fallin, who has publicly supported the project and is expected to sign it.

Senate President Pro Tem Brian Bingman, who sponsored the bill, said maintenance to the state’s landmark building was an appropriate use of bonds.

The Legislature approved a $120 million bond issue to begin repairs in 2014, but Bingman, R-Sapulpa, stressed the importance of having all the funding lined up so the project doesn’t face costly delays.

“The funds for this building won’t be issued until they are needed,” Bingman said. “These bonds will be issued in future years.”

He assured members that previously discussed plans for a reflecting pool, stone archway, and multi-level parking garage were not included in the final plans.

The first bond issue was enough to excavate the ground floor, create a new basement-level public entrance, replace the electrical, plumbing and mechanical systems in the basement and the building’s core, and repair its crumbling exterior. But project officials say an additional $95 million is needed to extend renovations into the wings of the building, expand a loading dock, add stairwells to dead-end corridors and make other interior repairs. Another $27.5 million is needed for exterior work.

Manhattan Construction was selected for the interior renovations and JE Dunn Construction for the exterior work.

State Sen. J.J. Dossett said he believes the Capitol renovations are worthwhile, but that he couldn’t support the project at a time when funding is being cut for public schools.

“Once we can keep our schools open five days a week and education is fully funded, then I say yes,” said Dossett, D-Sperry.

Work on the building is expected to resume this summer.

Just a little Photoshop I did to the Capitol area.

https://s32.postimg.org/4zfcmu57p/Okla_Capitol_Complex.png

Renovation of state Capitol exterior scheduled to begin

By: Tim Talley Associated Press July 21, 2016

OKLAHOMA CITY – An elaborate scaffolding system has started to go up on the north side of Oklahoma’s nearly 100-year-old state Capitol, signaling that a multi-year project to renovate and update the building for its next century is getting underway.

“We are fixing to start major operations on the exterior of the building,” Trait Thompson, project manager for the Oklahoma Office of Management and Enterprise Services, said Thursday during a presentation with Josh Martin of JE Dunn Construction.

The two briefed Capitol employees on the scope of the work and how they may be inconvenienced during the three-year, $52 million project. Project organizers estimate that keeping the 452,000-square-foot building open and functioning during the repairs will save $7 million in relocations costs.

“There will be times that it is intrusive,” Thompson said.

Among other things, all of the Capitol’s more than 500 exterior windows and doors will be removed, repaired and updated, and 21 miles of mortar joints will be repaired.

“We will pick out literally every inch of grout,” said Martin, whose company has performed similar projects on the Kansas and Minnesota state Capitol buildings. “It’s a time-consuming process.”

Martin said as many as 55 highly skilled workers will be needed to repair the Capitol’s exterior and its 200,000 square feet of stone facade. Many weathered and cracked stones will be replaced, he said. The structure’s exterior is composed mainly of white limestone from Indiana with a base of Oklahoma pink granite originally quarried from an area near Tishomingo known as the Ten-Acre Rock.

The repair work is the first phase of a $245 million effort to repair, renovate and update the state Capitol inside and out, which will start later this year and last about six years. Interior work will include extensive repairs, as well as replacing aging infrastructure and updating plumbing, electrical and mechanical systems. Workers will also provide natural gas service to power new emergency generators and add stairwells at dead-end corridors to address fire code issues.

Construction of the state Capitol was launched July 20, 1914, when Oklahoma’s second governor, Lee Cruce, used a pickaxe to break ground during a ceremony that historical photos show was attended by hundreds of people, some of whom traveled to the site in horse-drawn carriages.

The reinforced-concrete building was occupied in June 1917, just two months after the United States declared war on Germany and entered World War I. A $21 million dome was completed in 2002 – 85 years after original plans for a Capitol dome were shelved due to a lack of money and steel during the war.

Since 2011, barricades have cordoned off the south side of the Capitol to prevent visitors from climbing the steps leading to the south portico after chunks of mortar and pieces of limestone began falling from the building facade.

http://i.imgur.com/aFczlJk.jpg

Had to do some work this morning on the lighting for the dome.

Snapped this pic with my phone looking north up Lincoln and wanted to share. Enjoy. :cool:

Great shot. What phone are you shooting with?

Samsung Galaxy S5 Active

Awesome! It's like our own mini Brasilia[QUOTE=StuckInTheCapitol825;990471]http://i.imgur.com/aFczlJk.jpg

QUOTE]

Oklahoma Capitol restoration marks exterior work milestone

By: Tim Talley Associated Press May 31, 2017

OKLAHOMA CITY – Restoration of Oklahoma’s century-old state Capitol reached a milestone Wednesday as workers dismantled scaffolding from the first portion of the building’s stone facade to undergo extensive repair and cleaning.

The Capitol’s northwest corner sparkled in the warm spring sunshine as officials of JE Dunn Construction unveiled the result of their efforts to restore the building’s original cast-iron windows, Indiana limestone facade and Oklahoma pink granite base.

The building’s fresh, new look is “the result of thousands of hours of painstaking labor by some of the finest tradespeople in the country,” said Preston Doerflinger, Gov. Mary Fallin’s secretary of finance and director of the Office of Management and Enterprise Services.

“The result is a water-tight exterior that will serve the historic building for years to come,” Doerflinger said.

The work is the first completed phase of a $245 million effort to repair, renovate and update the state Capitol inside and out. Scaffolding was erected along the building’s northwestern and northern walls last summer and the $52 million exterior renovation project is expected to continue until early 2019.

The detailed work on the Capitol’s 200,000-square-foot stone facade has involved repairing or replacing 64 damaged limestone blocks, replacing worn mortar joints, repairing the building’s antiquated guttering system and renovating dozens of windows with new glass.

“They look as good as the day they were installed a century ago,” Doerflinger said.

Scaffolding removed from the building’s northwestern corner will be erected on the building’s southeastern side as the renovation project continues, said Mark Maska, project superintendent for JE Dunn Construction.

Manhattan Construction is in charge of renovating the interior of the 452,000-square-foot Capitol. That work is expected to continue until 2022.

Construction of the state Capitol was launched on July 20, 1914, when Oklahoma’s second governor, Lee Cruce, used a pickax to break ground during a ceremony that historical photos show was attended by hundreds of people, some of whom traveled to the site in horse-drawn carriages.

The reinforced-concrete building was occupied in June 1917, just two months after the United States declared war on Germany and entered World War I. A $21 million dome was completed in 2002 – 85 years after original plans for a Capitol dome were shelved due to a lack of money and steel during the war.

Since 2011, barricades have cordoned off the south side of the Capitol to prevent visitors from climbing the steps leading to the south portico after chunks of mortar and pieces of limestone began falling from the building’s facade.

Get ready for a new large tower crane to be in the OKC sky. Going up at the capitol this weekend.

For what reason?

As part of the renovation project. For work on the dome.