Scaffolding at the capitol. (RI photo)
Massive scaffolding is surrounding the Iowa Capitol as crews restore the four small domes that flank the taller golden dome in the center of the 137 year old building.
“This building’s just a work of art,” said Dan Larsen, the project manager for Neumann Brothers, the general contractor. “It’s quite the challenge to work on it, but I think it’s well worth the effort.”
Some of the scaffolding stretches 175 feet in the air.
“You can’t beat the view from up top when we’ve got it all the way up,” Larsen told Radio Iowa — during an interview on ground level.
OSHA inspects the maze of scaffold surrounding the Iowa Capitol once a month. “The scaffolding and access to get to this is a project in and of itself,” Larsen said. “It’s dangerous work. It’s challenging work. We’re building scaffolding the entire time we’re here.”
(RI photo)
Crews thawed their gloves and hard hats on radiators inside the Capitol during the frigid days of winter. Spring brings more challenges in the form of rain and windier days, according to Larsen.
“We’ll get to work most days on the scaffolding. I think with the weather here in Iowa we probably lose 15-25% of the days up there,” Larsen said. “It’s obviously windier the higher you get and then you’ve got the crane, which at 35-40 mph you can’t be hoisting stuff.”
The finials at the top of the four copper domes are being re-guilded with gold. Holes in the copper outside and crumbling bricks inside the domes are being replaced. Crews are building new steel platforms inside the domes, too, along with a steel ladder to the lantens at the top. “It’ll make brick repairs, brick replacement and window replacement, window repairs a lot easier,” Larsen said. “We’re also cleaning all the brick, repainting all the wood, restoring all the wood windows.”
There are four massive skylights in the building, too. Drainage, gutters and the frames are being replaced. This latest phase of Iowa Capitol restoration began in September of 2021 and it’s scheduled to be done November 1. However, Larsen said it’ll take another couple of months to tear down all the scaffolding.