Capitol Restoration

Home to all three branches of state government and vast collections of priceless state art, the State Capitol is itself a work of art, and is more uniquely Oklahoman than any other Oklahoma building. It was Oklahoma’s grandest achievement as a young state when it was built between 1914 and 1917. But in 2014, after a century of heavy use, harsh Oklahoma weather and inconsistent maintenance and preservation efforts, the building’s mechanical systems were failing, the exterior façade was crumbling and its prospects of meeting the state’s needs for another 100 years were fading. Recognizing the need to act, the legislature and Gov. Mary Fallin in 2014 and 2016 enacted legislation providing funding for the Capitol’s first-ever comprehensive, top-to-bottom restoration. Investigation and construction work began in 2015.