ST. PAUL, Minn. — Drawn from a quarry in north Georgia and then meticulously carved in Toronto, the gleaming white marble for the Minnesota Capitol exterior travels quite the path before crews restoring the building put the stone into place.
When it comes to sprucing up the Capitol, a monument to Minnesota government, not just any material will do. Officials have taken pains to pay proper respect to renowned architect Cass Gilbert’s original design. It helps explain why the restoration budget is more than $272 million for a building that cost $4.5 million to construct a century ago.
A massive renovation both inside and out is kicking into high gear after lawmakers came through with $109 million in May. Approval of the final installment will be before the Legislature next year, with key political figures all behind its passage.
The renovation will include interior paint that matches original palates, glass elevators to let light shine through, and wood window frames to replace aluminum ones added later.
But few aspects are as critical as the building’s envelope, where time, decades of industrial pollution and water seepage took a toll. Brilliant white when the Capitol opened in 1905, the facade now lacks luster and its delicate features, such as scrollwork atop columns, have crumbled in spots.