© 2026 KRCU Public Radio
90.9 Cape Girardeau | 88.9-HD Ste. Genevieve | 88.7 Poplar Bluff
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Capitol renovations — phase 1 — are almost finished

Phase one of renovations at the Mo. Capitol are scheduled to be completed by Dec. 23.
Phase one of renovations at the Mo. Capitol are scheduled to be completed by Dec. 23.

Since mid-March and throughout the summer, access to the Missouri Capitol has been limited because of restoration work on the building's south side, which is where most visitors enter.

But phase one of the $40 million project to restore the nearly century-old building is almost complete.

Work crews have spent the past several months removing the stone steps and repairing water damage underneath that extended well into the basement. Around 40 percent of the steps have been replaced with new ones, while the rest are being reused.

Cathy Brown, director of facilities management and construction for Gov. Jay Nixon's office of administration, has been overseeing the project.

Phase one of renovations at the Mo. Capitol are scheduled to be completed by Dec. 23.
Credit Marshall Griffin|St. Louis Public Radio
Phase one of renovations at the Mo. Capitol are scheduled to be completed by Dec. 23.

"We have been incredibly pleased with the work of the contractor; they're very talented at what they do," Brown said. "We are maybe a little ahead of schedule right now, but the contract completion date is Dec. 23, and we will absolutely make that date."

The goal is to have the first phase of renovations complete before inauguration ceremonies in January.  The cost of the work so far is just under $12 million.

There was one unforeseen issue that workers had to fix: More than 20 mini chambers, about 10 by 10 feet, were found underneath the south stairs that needed repair work.

"They just had a gravel floor," Brown said. "They'd been enclosed since the construction of this building, and we needed to get in there and do some structural repairs."

She added that the mini chambers were discovered in July and repaired by August.

Phase two is scheduled to begin late next summer and will focus on repairing the Capitol's façade and dome.

Follow Marshall Griffin on Twitter:  @MarshallGReport

Copyright 2016 St. Louis Public Radio

St. Louis Public Radio State House Reporter Marshall Griffin is a native of Mississippi and proud alumnus of Ole Miss (welcome to the SEC, Mizzou!). He has been in radio for over 20 years, starting out as a deejay. His big break in news came when the first President Bush ordered the invasion of Panama in 1989. Marshall was working the graveyard shift at a rock station, and began ripping news bulletins off an old AP teletype and reading updates between songs. From there on, his radio career turned toward news reporting and anchoring. In 1999, he became the capital bureau chief for Florida's Radio Networks, and in 2003 he became News Director at WFSU-FM/Florida Public Radio. During his time in Tallahassee he covered seven legislative sessions, Governor Jeb Bush's administration, four hurricanes, the Terri Schiavo saga, and the 2000 presidential recount. Before coming to Missouri, he enjoyed a brief stint in the Blue Ridge Mountains, reporting and anchoring for WWNC-AM in Asheville, North Carolina. Marshall lives in Jefferson City with his wife, Julie, their dogs, Max and Liberty Belle, and their cat, Honey.