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Center of Capitol closes for earthquake upgrades until 2025

The iconic Oregon Capitol Rotunda is among the sections of the building closed through 2025 for seismic renovations. (Ron Cooper/Salem Reporter)

Salem’s most iconic landmark is now largely closed to the public.

The central section of the Oregon State Capitol building is off limits as of July 1 and will not reopen until 2025. 

The closure is to accommodate the final phase of a three-part Capitol Accessibility, Maintenance and Safety project aimed at upgrading the building, which was constructed in 1938. During the closure, the building will see seismic improvements, accessibility upgrades and additional fire suppression systems. 

A 2013 report from the Capitol Master Plan Review Committee said that the Capitol could collapse in the event of an earthquake, risking the lives of the 235,000 people who visit each year as well as approximately 400 employees. On a daily basis, there are an estimated 1,000 people in the building. 

The gift shop, rotunda, garage, and visitor’s area will be closed for the duration of the three-year span but portions of the building will remain open for the public. Visitors will still be able to observe the Oregon Legislature during the closure.

Hearing rooms A through F, 170 and 174 will remain in operation until the end of the 2024 legislative session as well as legislators’ offices and chambers.

“All the work the public wants to see will be operational through the 2023 and 2024 legislatures sessions,” said Jodie Jones, the project director. 

People, Jones said, will still be able to visit with their representatives, attend hearings and all other public-facing aspects of lawmaking. They’ll just can’t come through the front door.

The revolving doors that open into the iconic rotunda will be closed until the completion of the project, redirecting visitors instead to the accessible entrances to the north of either wing of the central building. 

But students on school field trips, educational program participants and tours won’t be entering the building at all–those visits have been canceled until the end of the project. It’s a change those groups have become accustomed to over the last two years with Covid restricting programs. 

“The tours, educational programs and Christmas programs will occur virtually,” said Jones. “It was developed during Covid-19 and they’ll just build on that and those programs.”

The silver lining, Jones said, is that students in eastern, central and southern Oregon who do not often get the opportunity to come visit the Capitol, can now take part in the tours virtually. 

Opening the building virtually and scheduling construction to allow for public access during the legislative session has pushed the project back by six months, Jones said but it was a conscious decision.

“We are going to be completely removing the lower level, the foundation that this building sits on,” Jones said, “When you talk about digging under the building, you cannot have it occupied but we found a way to work our schedule and how we are doing the construction that we could utilize some public spaces for the ‘23 and ‘24 sessions.”

That work includes upgrading hearing rooms, adding fire sprinklers throughout the building, retrofitting the building with seismic upgrades and creating new spaces for the public including a concourse area. 

When the public re-enters the front doors in 2025, there will be two new staircases that lead down to a cafe and four new hearing rooms. The information booth will be moved further south and there will be upgraded facilities and gender neutral restrooms. 

Phase three is the last of the years-long project. Phase one addressed mechanical, electrical and plumbing issues, added two egress routes and updated disability access. Phase two saw additional accessibility work done on the two wings that house the legislative members and began addressing seismic upgrades. 

The last phase is budgeted for $375 million, which the Legislature approved in May. 

“We launched July 1,” Jones said. “We’re expecting floors one through four to open back up at the end of 2024 so people will be back in the building and it’ll be business as usual for the 2025 session.” 

Contact reporter Caitlyn May at [email protected].

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