Dear Neighbor,
Just a quick note urging people to take in this weekend’s grand re-opening festivities at the Capitol in St. Paul as the state celebrates completion of a four-year, $310 million restoration of the building.
The event will be this Friday through Sunday, starting with a blessing of the building 8:30 a.m. Friday and a ribbon-cutting ceremony to follow at 9. The celebration will start early in the morning and last well into the night all three days. Things are planned for citizens of all ages, with everything from a Kids Zone to cocktails on the Capitol’s newly reopened balcony. Tours will be available and a number of musical performances are scheduled. The Capitol chandelier will be raised each night at 8 p.m. and a fireworks show will take place at 9:30 p.m. Saturday.
The Capitol is over a century old and really was showing signs of age, to the point it literally was crumbling. But the restoration work that has been done is phenomenal and now the building will stand another hundred years. You really need to see it with your own eyes to get a full appreciation for the detailed work and the public spaces that have been reclaimed.
The restoration included repairing a deteriorating marble exterior, addressing life safety concerns, increasing access for the disabled, updating mechanical systems and generally making the building more user-friendly to the public.
A complete itinerary and more regarding the August weekend of grand opening events is available here.
Sincerely,
Matt