Oklahoma Capitol restoration marks exterior work milestone

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – Restoration of Oklahoma’s century-old state Capitol has reached a milestone as workers remove scaffolding from the first portion of the building’s stone facade, which was repaired and cleaned.
The Capitol’s northwest corner sparkled in the sunshine Wednesday as workers from JE Dunn Construction unveiled the result of their efforts to restore the building’s original cast iron windows, Indiana limestone facade and Oklahoma pink granite base.
The repair work is the first phase of a $245 million effort to repair, renovate and update the state Capitol inside and out. Scaffolding was erected along the building’s northeast and northern walls last summer and exterior work is expected to continue until early 2019.
Secretary of Finance Preston Doerflinger says the building’s new water-tight exterior will serve the state for years to come.