2001 Fire and Renovation
The 1970s renovation restored the interior of the building to its original condition, but by the 1990s, it was apparent that the building needed exterior and structural repairs. The University of Iowa began another round of renovations to upgrade the Old Capitol Building. Part of the repairs called for asbestos to be removed from the Capitol's gold dome.
On November 20, 2001, contractors using open flame torches and heat guns on the cupola supporting the building's gold dome accidentally set the cupola on fire. Golden smoke rose from the Old Capitol Building as the dome burned. The fire was limited to the cupola of the building, thanks to a concrete slab firewall that had been installed during the 1920s renovation. The bell at the top of the Old Capitol was irreparably damaged, the dome was destroyed, and the tens of thousands of gallons of water used to douse the blaze caused major damage. The University of Iowa later settled a lawsuit with the contractors for $1.9 million.
In February 2003, a new, 12,000 pound wood dome was placed on top of the Old Capitol Building. The dome is covered with 23¾ carat gold leaf. A new bell was installed, and the old bell is on display inside the building.
Read more about this topic: Iowa Old Capitol Building
Famous quotes containing the words fire and/or renovation:
“You can much sooner dry you by such a fire as you can make in the woods than in anybody’s kitchen, the fireplace is so much larger, and wood so much more abundant.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“Postmodernity is the simultaneity of the destruction of earlier values and their reconstruction. It is renovation within ruination.”
—Jean Baudrillard (b. 1929)