Interior Restoration and Garden-Level Wings Addition

The 2006 Legislature passed House Concurrent Resolution 47 authorizing the Capitol Commission and the Department of Administration to enter into agreements with the Idaho State Building Authority to finance the restoration and construction of two 2-story wings on each end of the Statehouse.

Subsequently, a total of $130 million was secured in bonds; McAlvain/Hummel, design/build professionals, was hired to begin work on the wings; and, the design team of CSHQA Architects and Lemley/3DI continue to finalize space-use plans of the existing building.

In his FY08 budget, Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter proposed that only the restoration of the existing Capitol be completed and not the addition of the 2-story underground wings. However, he and legislative leadership eventually negotiated a compromise to proceed with the addition of two, 1-story underground wings and to reassign the use of the first floor of the Capitol to the Legislature rather than to the Executive Branch.

Interior Restoration

The Capitol restoration work includes:

• restore and refinish windows
• repair marble flooring
• repair decorative plaster
• restore wood floors
• refinish wood doors and restore hardware
• replace/refurbish light fixtures
• upgrade electrical
• complete smoke and fire detection system
• install fire sprinkler system throughout
• improve exterior lighting
• add emergency power generator
• install new HVAC system
• replace sewer piping
• replace hot water system
• improve exiting from basement
• provide vertical circulation cores from the Legislative chambers level to the new garden-level wings
• safer access to roof domes
• add egress hardware
• provide accessible toilet rooms
• install accessible elevator (gurney size)

Garden-Level Wings Addition

The underground expansion provides:

• approximately 25,000 square feet on each side of the Capitol
• larger Legislative hearing rooms
• opportunities to move various functions out of the Capitol Building (such as large mechanical spaces, data centers, kitchens, and dining facilities)