Commonwealth of Kentucky

KENTUCKY STATE CAPITOL EXTERIOR RENOVATIONS

LOCATION

Frankfort, KY

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COST
$256,000,000.00

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SIZE

N/A

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TYPE

Dome Renovation
Reroof & Window Replacement

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YEAR

Est. Completion 2029
(Total Project)

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ARCHITECT 

Champlin | EOP

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CONTRACTOR

Messer Construction​​​​​​​

A maintenance and exterior renovation for three distinct portions of the Kentucky State Capitol (plus some window replacement at the nearby governor’s mansion): Capitol Dome, Roof Maintenance and Masonry Parapets, and Window Restoration. The initial study and survey uncovered numerous systems with failures or in need of nearly complete replacement.

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The Capitol’s new ~13,000-pound lantern assembly was successfully lifted more than 200 feet in the air by crane to its place atop the dome. The team’s decision to shop-fabricate the entire steel frame allowed the complete lantern to be set in a single crane pick. As the final step, the lantern will be clad in terra cotta, restoring the architectural character of this Kentucky landmark.

Structural work includes reconstruction of the lantern and its inner frame, framing corrosion mitigation, access stair reconstruction, and stone/concrete/masonry repairs. Deterioration/fracture of anchors at the base of the dome’s tension ring and cracking of the entablature distribution ring require careful investigation and finite element and truss analysis of the complex load distributions to ensure adequacy and to make for appropriate repairs. There are also multiple phases of investigation with vertical access, LIDAR scanning, and selective 
demolition to account for existing construction techniques as much of the structure is undocumented.​​​​​​​​

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