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Old Capitol Museum Plans Reopening Celebration May 6
At
8:30 a.m. Tuesday, November 20, 2001, the Old Capitol of Iowa was struck by a
fire that destroyed the building’s 160-year-old cupola, dome and bell. Although
the interior of the building escaped being burned because of a firewall installed
in the 1920s, the iconic cupola and dome were destroyed.
More than five years and several phases of recovery later, Old Capitol Museum will have a reopening celebration Saturday, May 6. The morning will start with a musical tribute at 9:15 a.m., followed by the opening ceremony at 9:30 a.m. and the museum opening at 10 a.m. Activities for families are planned throughout the day.
State Historical Society of Iowa preservationists were immediately called in to assess the damage and to consult on the initial clean-up. The State Fire Marshall determined that the fire was started accidentally by a torch or heat gun. While the interior of the building suffered a great deal of smoke and soot damage, the more serious damage was caused by water. All of the 680 artifacts (furniture, artwork, framed historic maps, paper and books, metals, glass and textiles) had to be dried, assessed for damage, estimated for repair, cleaned inventories and carefully packed to save them. Since the building’s exterior was limestone, its interior brick, and its floors concrete, it took nearly a year for the building to dry completely.
“Each phase of the recovery efforts has brought us closer to the day we could reopen Old Capitol’s doors and continue educating visitors on its important history,” said Pamela Trimpe, director of the Old Capitol and Museum of Natural History at the University of Iowa. “The celebration is an opportunity for visitors to become re-acquainted with the building after years of rebuilding and restoration.”
For more information on the Old Capitol Museum, visit www.uiowa.edu/~oldcap, or for information on the reopening celebration, call (319) 335-0011 or e-mail Jane-van-voorhis@uiowa.edu.
