Wednesday in Wyoming - June 20, 2018

Not everything on the capitol complex is being changed as a result of the Capitol Square Project.

The statue of Chief Washakie, which stands on the opposite side of the main entrance sidewalk from one of Esther Morris, already had its change. It used to be on display inside the capitol itself, but a few years ago it was moved outdoors.

Who was Chief Washakie? Here's an interesting article that I found.

Unfortunately for first-time visitors to Cheyenne, the statue is currently hidden by the fence that surrounds the capitol during construction.

Wednesday in Wyoming - June 13, 2018

Last week I featured the repairs to the capitol dome, but that's only a small portion of the work being done as part of the Wyoming Capitol Square Project. A major office building, the Herschler building, is being remodeled and expanded. As you can see, it's located adjacent to the capitol itself, and like the dome, is having its exterior renovated.

For more information about the Herschler project, click here.

Wednesday in Wyoming - June 6, 2018

It's construction season in Cheyenne, and nowhere is that as apparent as at the capitol, which is undergoing a multi-year renovation and restoration project. The latest part of the building to see changes is the dome, which is now surrounded by scaffolding and shrouding. I wouldn't want to be the workers on top of it. Would you?

This isn't the first time the dome has had work done. In 2009, the gilding was replaced, and for a while, the dome itself was covered with wood.

Here's what it looked like between the regilding project and today.

I have to say that it seems strange to drive Interstate 25 north into Cheyenne and not see the golden dome. But in another year or so, it'll be visible again.

If you're interested in more information about the dome repairs, here's a link.

Wednesday in Wyoming -- January 25, 2017

It's not only the capitol itself that's being renovated. The Herschler building, which houses other state offices and is north of the capitol on the same campus, is having also extensive work done.

How much will all this cost, and when will it be done?  The answers are (1) around $300 million dollars and (2) in time for the 2019 legislative session, so we have another two years before the buildings will be open.  

If you'd like more information about the project, there's a web site devoted to it.  http://www.wyomingcapitolsquare.com/

Wednesday in Wyoming -- January 18, 2017

The project managers wanted to make sure there was no question about what is happening to the state capitol, and so they posted signs on the chain link fence that surrounds the construction site.  This section states the obvious -- that the capitol is closed -- and also directs visitors to the temporary locations of the various state offices.

Rather than have a boring, utilitarian fence around the capitol, the project team embellished the fence in front of the building with pictures of the capitol's past as well as key sites from around Wyoming.  Of course, nothing can completely disguise the piles of dirt and the heavy equipment.  They're all necessary parts of progress.

Wednesday in Wyoming -- January 11, 2017

Remember last week's picture of scaffolding on the capitol?  While the scaffolding remained in place, the Wyoming weather dictated protection for the building while the renovations were underway. That's why it's now wrapped in what looks like Tyvek.

Have you seen buildings wrapped like this?  It's fairly common here in Wyoming when brick is being installed during the winter, but -- because of the magnitude of the project -- this wrapping will remain for longer than normal.

Wednesday in Wyoming -- January 4, 2017

Happy New Year!

This was the sight that greeted visitors to Cheyenne last January -- scaffolding on the west side of the state capitol.  While it may not look too extensive, it was only the first step in a multi-year, multi-million dollar renovation of the state capitol.

I hope you'll come back next week (and, for that matter, for all the Wednesdays in January) to see the progress of the restoration.