This is the first in a series on the Capitol Commission and their endeavors to repair, renovate, and restore the Missouri State Capitol.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – After a successful fundraiser to kick-start the restoration of Capitol art, the Missouri State Capitol Commission (MSCC) is planning for future centennial building celebrations and renovations. With the building literally falling apart and continued budget withholdings, the Commission has quite the task ahead of them.
MSCC Chairman and Missouri House of Representatives Asst. Chief Clerk Dana Rademan Miller told The Missouri Times that the top priority of the Commission is to educate Missourians on the need to protect, preserve, and restore the Capitol. Similar to other state boards and commissions, the MSCC is composed of two representatives and two senators (one from each party) and four members appointed by the Governor – as well as a house and senate staffer, the lieutenant governor, and the commissioner of the Office of Administration.
Last year, Speaker Tim Jones (R-Eureka) and Rep. Chris Kelly (D-Columbia) piloted a capital improvements bill (HB19) that passed both the House and Senate which included funding for repairs to the Capitol. Although the governor didn’t veto the bill, most of the funds were withheld and major improvements have been put on hold.
During the school year, children visit the Capitol from all around the state. Their eyes pop when they see the Thomas Hart Benton mural in the House Lounge; their eyes grow even larger when they learn that Benton used an egg yolk-based paint to create it before the Capitol had air conditioning. On the way back to the bus, the students often go around the terrace to the north plaza, jumping over the giant cracks right outside the governor’s office. The plaza is reaching the same point that the west staircase did before it was renovated in 2012. The replacement of stone pavers for the north plaza and flanking sidewalks and replacement of various curbs along the drive, as well as repairs of the fountain pool and repair of the north wall is projected to cost almost $4 million.
Students were recently spotted picking up chunks of loose rock from the south staircase. Thankfully, an astute teacher asked them to put them down. The disrepair on the south side of the building – which is the backdrop for many rallies, local events, and tourist visits, would cost close to $3 million to update. The price tag would include removing the existing asphalt pavement, incorporating a waterproofing membrane to the sub-base, providing a new trench drain system, and new pavement. Though there is little glamour in waterproofing and drainage, a quick tour into the basement of the Capitol is eye-opening.
Miller took The Missouri Times into the basement, which wraps around the House post office and below the terraces and the south staircase. The first steps into the basement place a visitor under the rotunda and grand staircase, where rainwater leaking from the stairs overhead, is observed. Miller pointed up to what initially looked like nice air ducts, but a closer look reveals trays to catch drips from drainage and plumbing. Deeper into the basement, stalagmites, stalactites, and efflorescence abound. Amidst budget withholdings, water continues to come into the state’s beautiful Capitol.
The aging HVAC system is expected to be updated soon, giving Capitol employees some relief. Many offices have their own dehumidifiers, but despite the effort, the building is so humid that the plaster is cracking—and maintenance workers cannot keep up with repairs. On the first floor, less than 250 ft from the spacious rotunda, the ceiling is peeling.
An exit from the basement leads to the back of the House post office. Post office and IT employees see the leaks daily, not far from where they work. Additional rooms were built into the basement for the building’s servers, which are covered in tarps in case the trays do not catch the drips.
Overall infrastructure repairs are estimated to cost upwards of $50 million. The MSCC is recommending $50,720,000 to replace the bollard system, update the voice and data network, repair the overlay of the drive and tunnel, repair the north plaza area, repair exterior stone, and upgrade inefficient interior lighting.
Rachael Herndon was the editor at The Missouri Times and also produced This Week in Missouri Politics, published Missouri Times Magazine, and co-hosted the #MoLeg podcast. She joined The Missouri Times in 2014, returning to political reporting after working as a campaign and legislative staffer.
Rachael studied at the University of Missouri – Columbia. She lives in Jefferson City with her husband, Brandon, and their two children.
