Missouri State Capitol Commission Selects New Stone for Renovation Efforts

Members of the Missouri State Capitol Commission viewed mock-ups of possible replacement stone for the Capitol facade.
Members of the Missouri State Capitol Commission viewed mock-ups of possible replacement stone for the Capitol facade.

JEFFERSON CITY – Restoration of the exterior of the 100-plus year old Missouri State Capitol continued to move forward this week.

On Wednesday, May 9, the Missouri State Capitol Commission decided on the type of stone that will be used during the renovation of the State Capitol’s facade. The design team presented the commission three choices of carefully selected stone. Members of the commission were able to view the selected stones in both wet and dry settings, next to the building’s original stone. Over the past few weeks, restoration crews installed the three stones in various locations on the building’s north side in order to see how the stones compared to the existing stone. After looking at the examples, the commission chose stone from the Phenix Marble Company, located outside of Springfield, Missouri.

Restoration crews are working to clean, waterproof and seal other areas of the building’s facade. All of the original stone will be cleaned during the restoration process.
Restoration crews are working to clean, waterproof and seal other areas of the building’s facade. All of the original stone will be cleaned during the restoration process.

This stone will be used to repair and renovate damaged sections of the State Capitol’s exterior. When the project is finished, stone mined from the Phenix quarry will make up 5 percent of the State Capitol’s facade. In fact, this stone comes from the same line as the original stone, quarried out of Carthage, used during the construction of the State Capitol.

The renovation project is scheduled to finish in December 2020. The project aims to extend the life of the State Capitol by improving the overall appearance, structural stability and water shedding capabilities of the historic structure, ensuring it will be enjoyed by generations to come.

For a live video feed of the construction site, please visit https://capitol.mo.gov/webcam-capitol-construction/.

For more information about the Missouri State Capitol or the Missouri Senate, please visit the Missouri Senate’s website at www.senate.mo.gov.