Cracks in the Capitol: Missouri officials close part of building for safety

Amid the divisive debates on human rights, gun control and elections in the House and Senate chambers this week, workers shut off access to the legislative library in the Missouri Capitol because of structural weaknesses that could pose a danger to denizens of the century-old building.

Lawmakers, citizen activists, tourists, lobbyists and reporters now must reroute their way through the marble-lined corridors to accommodate for the physical problems that have now turned into an emergency.

Less than a year after officials pushed to begin interior renovations of the structure following a $50 million exterior makeover, the closure of the library means access on the fourth floor of the Capitol between the House and Senate sides of the building has been closed, resulting in longer routes to the legislative chambers, committee meeting rooms and lawmakers’ offices.

“This is just the unexpected result of being in a 100-year-old building,” said Patrick Baker, the top administrator in the Senate and the chairman of the Missouri Capitol Commission, which oversees the building.

The library, located in a domed room on the third floor, also is directly above the governor’s office, raising questions about how the current concerns could affect the state’s top statewide officer.

Baker said the problems on the third floor are not a threat to the chief executive below.

“There are cracks in the plaster of the domed ceiling. It is not a structural issue,” Baker said Wednesday.

Officials have talked about interior improvements for more than decade amid concerns about peeling plaster and paint, outdated electrical systems and old plumbing.

The skylights in the building, which provide some natural light within the 500,000-square-foot facility are in the midst of being replaced after an architectural survey company found pieces of a stained glass window near the third floor rotunda could fall and injure someone.

For the library, the domed plaster ceiling is attached to a metal grid. At the time is was built in the early 1900s, workers used horse hair and hemp in the construction.

Baker said it is not yet known how long the library will be closed, nor is a price tag available for the repair work.

Library materials will still be available, but people won’t be allowed in the room “out of an abundance of caution.”

“We just can’t access the stacks,” Baker said.

The wish list for the overall work in the Capitol, which has been under discussion since 2016, would remove parking in the Capitol basement and replace the current parking structure used by the Senate with additional spaces for both the executive branch and the general public.

The building would gain an estimated 100,000 square feet of space for lawmakers by extending the basement south toward High Street, which is Jefferson City’s main downtown street.

There also could be an underground visitor center on the north side of the Capitol that could be the entry point for the estimated 450,000 people who visit the building annually.

Rather than braving the weather and eating lunch outside on the Capitol grounds, school groups could have a dedicated space to gather during visits.

The plan also would do away with a 1970s-era change that placed some members of the House into cramped mezzanines on the first and second floors.

In addition to being noncompliant with federal accessibility laws, the gerrymandered office space cuts off the natural light that was part of the original design, leaving many corridors gloomier than what was envisioned.

The overall project is estimated to cost $535 million.

The plan would move some of the executive branch operations out of the Capitol, such as the governor’s budget office, to nearby state office buildings.

The governor’s office on the second floor also would be extended to the first floor with an interior elevator, eliminating the need for office workers to walk into the public corridor to get to another office in the suite.

The lengthy project would not result in the closure of the Capitol during the construction period, according to a draft proposal of the overhaul.