CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) - Carpenters who remodeled the state Capitol nearly 75 years ago walled up an entire office door that has been hidden from public view ever since.
Until now.
The recent discovery of the door is among the surprises from the past that have been found so far during the Capitol Square Project.
The massive project could cost up to $299 million and involves the restoration of the state Capitol and the adjacent Herschler Building, reported the Wyoming Tribune Eagle (https://bit.ly/2keztBu).
The inside of the Capitol is down to the bare bones now. The marble floor and staircase in the Capitol are obscured, covered with protective surfaces until the project is complete.
Other treasures recovered from the Capitol so far include a rusty chisel, a glove, an old whisky bottle retrieved from under the main staircase, and a piece of window trim on which a man’s signature and the date 1891 are printed.
These items offer a window into what life was like more than 100 years ago in Cheyenne.
The office door dates back to 1888 and is part of the original construction of the Capitol.
Suzanne Norton, the Capitol Square’s architectural project manager, said there were three planned phases of construction: the first in 1888, followed by adding a section in 1890 and another addition in 1917.
A few months ago, employees of JE Dunn - the general contractor for the project - found the hidden door when they tore out a wall on the third floor.
The wall had divided the room into two sections, one most recently used for broadcast reporters and the other side reserved for print reporters who covered the state Legislature.
This wall likely was built during a renovation in 1944.
“We knew there was a door there” because current workers had the plans that showed a doorway, Norton said.
But no one knew that the actual door still would be there, safe from harm and well-preserved because it was walled up on both sides.
The door has some unique features, Norton said. “This is the only doorknob found like this in the whole Capitol,” she said as she studied the brass doorknob covered with carvings of stars.
The door likely will stay where it is now and be part of the restoration, Norton said. The doorknob might have to be replaced with another type to meet federal handicapped accessible laws.
If that occurs, the one-of-a-kind doorknob likely will be taken to the Wyoming State Museum for safekeeping, Norton said.
The door is an interesting find, those working on the project said.
“It’s beautiful woodwork, isn’t it?” Bruce Riter said as he looked at the polished door frame and its frosted pane.
Riter and his wife, Rachael, own Brisco Demolition of Cheyenne. The company’s 10 employees work at selective demolition on the restoration.
In another part of the Capitol are the original archways, hidden under false ceilings for years. The archways, built in 1888, likely will become part of the permanent restoration.
Riter said he also is impressed with the metal arches that help hold up the building. These arches are made from corrugated steel and were quite a technological achievement for their day, according to Riter.
Steel arches helped to better distribute the weight of the concrete used in construction than using flat steel.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Riter said of the concept.
Construction crews now working on the project also found a section of steel used to build the original section that has the name Carnegie stamped on it for steel magnate Andrew Carnegie.
Other items that were taken to the State Museum include:
- Lead window counterweights made around 1888.
- An undated, but old, tag from Midwest Steel and Ironworks.
- A section of the original design plans for the 1888 Capitol.
- An unopened time capsule from 1983 from the Herschler Building.
- A section of wooden window trim signed by C.T. Johnston with the date 1891 by his name.
Norton and others did some research to find out more about C.T. Johnston and learned that a man by that name was a Cheyenne city engineer long after 1891.
Norton speculates that the same Johnston may have signed the board in 1891 when he was a young man working on a project at the Capitol.
The complete Capitol Square restoration should be finished by mid-2019.
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Information from: Wyoming Tribune Eagle, https://www.wyomingnews.com
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