The Iowa Capitol Building Was Built to Last

Restoring the Iowa Capitol building became the opportunity of a lifetime for many Iowa craftsman. The restoration process allowed them to to challenge their skills against those that came before. This segment is from Iowa PBS’s This Old Statehouse documentary.

Narrator: As difficult as it might be to visualize from the outside, the capitol is actually a brick building with a stone veneer.  Unlike today’s modern structures that get their strength from steel framing and reinforcement, the capitol’s masonry bears the load as well as the beauty - so it had to be built strong.  Bricks were laid into walls up to four and a half feet thick. But they’re never seen due to the decorative outer layer - two-foot thick chunks of limestone.

Carl Crees, Stone Mason: There's a lot of buildings built that only have a 20-year span anyway.  They don't build 'em for longevity, they build them 'em for just strictly a 20-year tear down, rebuild, write off, which I'm glad the capitol was built like it is. I don't think there's a better structure around than the capitol.

Narrator: The first stone was removed back in 1983, and when the last one was set in 2000, approximately 95 percent of the ornamental and trim sandstone had been replaced. Seven thousand, five hundred tons in all, and with each stone that was turned, more often than not, the inner brick walls were found to be damaged as well.

Scott Allen, Architect: Until they open up that wall, we're never a hundred percent sure. so we have a very close communication with the contractors so that when they get to that point, they give us a call and say "is this what you expected to see?"  We hope they say, "yes", but there's sometimes we know it's totally different from what we ever thought was going to happen.

Narrator: While the blocks came out pretty much the same way they went in - in huge chunks measured by the ton - the bricks they concealed required much more individual attention. Jackhammered bits filled shovels, which filled steel baskets, eventually filling dump trucks waiting below. It was a routine that went on practically non-stop for over 15 years, interrupted only the most disagreeable of Iowa’s weather.  On the balmier January days, though, just a slight change in venue kept the work progressing.

Bob Hewitt, Stonemasons’ foreman: This winter we worked continually through but the winter last winter and the winter before we closed down for the winter.  And in the spring, I'd call up the guys and say "you want to come back?"  "oh, absolutely absolutely we want to come back". I was going to retire four years ago and then we got this project and I said, well, gee, I'd like to do that before I retire. So, I asked them to let me do it and they agreed. That’s why I’m here.  I’m going to be sad when it’s over with.”

Narrator: Restoring the capitol building has been the opportunity of a lifetime. A chance for these workers to pit their skills against the best of their great-grandfather’s generation. Their enthusiasm for the work is matched only by their admiration for the building and their respect for those who built it.

Bob Hewitt, Stonemasons’ foreman: It's just totally mind boggling.  We have all the equipment in the world.  We've got half-million dollar cranes. We've got fork lifts. We've got everything you could think of.  And there's still some of that stone is a challenge for us to elevate and set. These guys did it with nothing but block and tackles and pulleys and ropes and manpower.  It's amazing.