Utah Capitol Building
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This page was last updated on January 31, 2025.
Overview
(Wikipedia entry for Utah State Capitol)
Timeline
June 10, 1913
After
"Little Cottonwood Granite" was selected for the new state capitol building, the next question was how to move the granite from the quarry to the construction site. Using rail cars was an obvoious choice. The following excerpts come from the June 10, 1913 issue of the Salt Lake Daily Herald newspaper.
The granite for the state capitol building was to come from quarries owned by the Cottonwood Granite Company, and the Wasatch Granite Company. These two companies were not part of the recent consolidation of companies placed on contract to furnish the stone, and would not assist in the work of quarrying the stone. Instead, they would receive royalties as part of the contract.
Plans for early construction operations are being taken up by the Alta & Jordan Railroad company, which owns the old right-of-way from Jordan to Alta. This company, incorporated about two years ago.
The old roadbed from Jordan to the Wasatch resort near the mouth of the canyon is still in such shape that the reconstruction would not be very costly. From Wasatch to Alta, the old rails of the gravity tramway are still intact much of the way, although now overgrown with brush. In some places, the wagon road has appropriated the right-of-way.
Midvale to Wasatch Railroad to be Completed at Once. - J. G. Jacobs is to build a railroad to the granite quarries at once, the work to start in a day or two; nearly four miles is built now, and the grade for the 11 miles to Wasatch has been established.
The roadbed and right-of-way has been leased from the Denver & Rio Grande.
J. G. Jacobs organized the Salt Lake & Alta Railroad to operate the trains that moved the granite from the quarry at Wasatch, to the Denver & Rio Grande mainline at Midvale, where the initial cutting of the stones took place. The railroad was incorporated on August 26, 1913. The first movement of granite stone from the quarry took place on November 15, 1913.
(Read more about the Salt Lake & Alta Railroad)
June 30, 1913
Utah Consolidated Stone Company -- The stone company was to be organized as a consolidation of several separate stone companies. The main offices were to be at those of the Cottonwood company, and each of the affiliated companies would not lose its identity:
- Cottonwood Granite Company
- Aston-Whyte-Skillikorn Company
- Sidney S. Belmont Company (of Provo)
- James S. Walker Company
- Salt Lake Pressed Brick Company
- George Curley Company
- (Salt Lake Tribune, June 10, 1913; Salt Lake Mining Review, June 30, 1913)
January 30, 1914
The Utah Consolidated Stone Company was shipping two cars (60 tons) per day from its quarry at Little Cottonwood, to the finishing plant at Midvale. (Salt Lake Mining Review,January 30, 1914, page 27, "Around The State")
November 15, 1913
The first shipment of granite for the state capitol building, about 600 cubic feet of dressed granite loaded on three cars, was delivered to the capitol grounds. On the previous day, the stone was loaded on cars of Oregon Short Line, then transferred by derrick to cars of Utah Light & Railway Company to be moved to the building site. (Salt Lake Tribune, November 15, 1913, "the first shipment of dressed stone will be made today")
July 16, 1914
About half of the exterior granite had been installed, and by the end of summer 1914 the basement, second floor, and exterior walls were nearing completion. The columns were being installed, and work was progressing on the dome, including covering it in Utah copper. The floors are made of marble from Georgia. (Salt Lake Telegram, July 16, 1914)
February 11, 1915
A Shipler photo dated February 11, 1915: A rail car holding "The Last Stone For State Capitol" was delivered to the site of the capitol building. The rail car had a sign: "81 Days Ahead Of Contract; 800 Car Loads; Utah Granite; 'Made In Utah'; Utah Consolidated Stone Co."
With the building was still under construction, on February 11, 1915, the session of the Utah State Legislature was moved from the interim location in the Salt Lake City and County building, to the new capitol building. Even though the legislature was meeting in the capitol, it took more than a year to finish the remainder of the building sufficiently for the executive and judicial officers to move into the building. Work was finished and the capitol was publicly dedicated on October 9, 1916.
July 18, 1981
State Capital Building information from the Deseret News, July 18, 1981, Spectra section, upon completion of the new copper roof for dome.
- Capitol building stands at the north end of State Street, 300 feet above valley floor
- Capitol dome constructed of concrete and steel with wood framework for attaching of the copper roof
- Capital Building stands in center of 40 acre plot of land
- Original 20 acres was donated by Salt Lake City in 1885, 30 years before the completion of the Capital Building
- Original funding to build the capitol building came from the inheritance tax from estate of E. H. Harriman
- Architecture is "classic Corinthian", patterned after National Capital by Salt Lake architect Richard K. A. Kletting
- Constructed of Utah granite and marble and Georgia marble
- Rectangular in shape, 404 feet long, 240 feet wide, 285 feet high, at tip of dome
- Ground breaking was on December 26, 1912
- Construction started on April 18, 1913
- Most of the building was completed by July 3, 1915
- Final completion (inside and outside) was in October 1916
- Cost $2,739,529
- Capitol roof was originally sheathed with copper in 1914
- Damaging wind storm on June 30, 1980 was 70 mph
- New copper roofing was completed on June 30, 1981
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Dome Reflects A Year Of Labor, Era Of Skill
Deseret News, Spectra Section, July 18, 1981
By Lillie Robertson
Deseret News staff writer
It took workmen a year to repair the damages Mother Nature inflicted on the State Capitol's copper dome in a matter of a few hours.
Standing stately and tall at the north end of State Street, 300 feet above the valley floor, the grand lady had withstood all kinds of storms for about 65 years. But the storm that struck June 30, 1980, with 70-mile-an-hour winds, left her "copper hat" slightly ruffled and damaged.
For most of the following year, she wore a temporary plastic bonnet to keep other storms from causing any inside damage. For months workmen could be seen crawling around on scaffolding high atop the building, working under the plastic cover during all kinds of weather.
Then one year later, June 30, 1981, the job was finished. A plaque signed by Gov. Scott M. Matheson was soldered onto the dome, officially ending the construction. Utah's Capitol dome is as bright and shiny as a new copper penny now, but given a little time, it will tarnish like all aging copper. And it was this aging process that made it necessary to recover the entire dome; the old copper panels could not be matched. Also, the wood roofing underneath had become rotten from age and moisture and would no longer hold nails securely.
Today's copper sheeting is different from that used in 1914 when the copper was put on the dome. At that time it was hot-rolled and softer, says Richard G. Tholen, architect for the State Building Board. Now it is cold-rolled and harder. The old copper was attached with copper-coated wire nails, but this coating soon wore off. The new panels are attached with copper nails.
Each panel of the dome was accurately measured by workmen from the Ogden sheetmetal firm doing the copper work, then cut individually so each would fit precisely when nailed into place.
Because today's harder copper is more difficult to work with than the old hot-rolled type, says Tholen, a special jig had to be made to do the breaking, or bending, of the metal.
The dome itself is concrete and steel, with wood framework attached, to which the copper is nailed. After replacing the rotten wood framing, air vents were added to the dome, explains the architect, to provide better circulation and help prevent future wood rot from moisture.
The Capitol Building stands in the center of a 40-acre site, surrounded by beautifully groomed gardens. Originally, 20 acres were donated for the building in 1888 by the Salt Lake City Fathers. The remaining 20 acres were acquired later.
The time from when the land was first donated until completion of the building spanned almost 30 years. A check received from E. H. Harriman's widow for the inheritance tax on her husband's Utah holdings (Union Pacific Railroad) was the catalyst that got the building project rolling.
The classic Corinthian-styled structure, patterned after the National Capitol, was designed by Salt Lake architect Richard K. A. Kletting. It features Utah materials, such as granite and marble, along with Georgia marble. Rectangular in shape, it is 404 feet long, 240 feet wide, 285 feet high at the tip of the dome.
Ground-breaking ceremonies took place Dec. 26, 1912; construction started April 18, 1913; most of the building was completed by July 3, 1915, but final completion (inside and out) is listed as October, 1916, at which time the building was dedicated. The cost was $2,739,529 — a shocking amount at the time. But it is mind-boggling to think of how much such a stately building would cost at today's prices!
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