In 1916 the Utah State Capitol was constructed on a hill overlooking the Salt Lake Valley, standing as a majestic landmark that the growing city has not diminished.  Time had taken its toll on the classically detailed Capitol, and in 2003, plans were made to begin a total restoration and seismic upgrade on this historic structure.

Part of this restoration included the classically detailed terra cotta clad rotunda. “The terra cotta was a fundamentally functioning historic fabric that had deteriorated overtime, and it needed restoration,” said Robert Pett, the project preservation design architect. 

The terra cotta was originally installed using the popular methods of the time, including ferrous metal anchors, shims, and rods with a brick masonry back-up and cindercrete fill.  Years of exposure had caused the anchors to rust and corrode, cracking the terra cotta and allowing more water to enter the façade.  In fact, some of the terra cotta pieces were no longer attached to the building due to the extreme deterioration of the anchors. 

In addition to the terra cotta, many of the rotunda's architectural elements, such as the columns, window hoods, and mid drum wall portions, were constructed of plaster.  The plaster was in worse condition then the terra cotta, with portions of it disintegrating.  It was determined that these areas would be clad with new terra cotta, realizing Architect Richard Kletting's original vision that had been compromised during initial construction due to the lack of funds.

The first construction team member selected for the project was the general contractor, Jacobsen-Hunt Construction.   Together with the owner, they selected the Capitol Restoration Group (CRG) as the architect.  The Capitol Restoration Group is a consortium of architects from several firms including VCBO Architecture, MJSA Architects, and Schooley Caldwell Associates. 

The team then undertook the task of selecting a terra cotta manufacturer to replicate pieces of terra cotta fabricated nearly 90 years prior.  The original terra cotta manufacturer, Northwestern Terra Cotta Co., was no longer in operation.  After an extensive selection process, Boston Valley Terra Cotta (BVTC) was chosen from a short list of four terra cotta fabricators. 

After the terra cotta manufacturer was selected, the team needed an installation subcontractor; KEPCO+DBI was ultimately selected due to their ability to bring both handset and panelized installation methods to the project, an option only proposed by KEPCO+DBI.  “The single most important decision we made was to be able to do both panelized and handset installation,” said Hart.  

Panelizing terra cotta for re-installation on the rotunda was a history-making endeavor.  Never before had classically detailed architectural terra cotta been panelized.  Making this project even more unique was the use of both newly manufactured terra cotta and original pieces of terra cotta that had been restored.

“I liked the concept of old world terra cotta installed with new world technology.  I'm thrilled with the benefits of doing it this way and hope it will open the door for the future use of classically detailed terra cotta,” said David Hart, executive director of the Utah State Capitol Preservation Board.   

After the selection of KEPCO+DBI, the entire team began participating in Terra Cotta Workshops, one of the first tasks the team undertook was determining the project scope, means and methods.  In order to do so, it was first necessary to properly evaluate the current condition of the rotunda by removing portions of the terra cotta, exploring the original installation methods and condition of the existing terra cotta, and conducting various surface condition surveys.  After the findings from these exploratory exercises were discussed, the team decided that most of the terra cotta would be removed and cataloged so the pieces could be reinstalled at the same historic location. 

The terra cotta was then taken to KEPCO+DBI's Salt Lake City facility where each piece was evaluated to determine whether it would be restored or replicated.  One of the Capitol Restoration Group's primary goals was to reinstall as much of the historic terra cotta as the condition of the pieces would allow.  The restoration of the terra cotta was performed by KEPCO+DBI's subcontractor Child Enterprises. 

Essential to the sensitive restoration of the Utah State Capitol rotunda was properly matching the new terra cotta pieces to those that would be restored.  Since terra cotta was coming off the building for restoration, the team had the advantage of being able to send terra cotta pieces from the building to BVTC for them to color match.  Robert Pett and David Hart were responsible for selecting the acceptable color range for the new terra cotta pieces.  The pair selected pieces ranging from light to medium to dark.  Pett determined that a color was showing through from underneath the glaze, affecting the ultimate finish color of the white speckled terra cotta pieces.  BVTC was able to match the underlying mahogany color, after which finalizing the terra cotta color “went pretty easily,” according to Hart.

One of the most technical terra cotta pieces were the donut shaped column sections, measuring up to 38” in diameter, which made up the columns.  Pieces this large had never been fabricated before.  BVTC said they were up to the challenge, and they undertook the task of manufacturing these large pieces so that the final columns would have as few joints as possible.  This proved to be quite an undertaking due to the natural shrinkage of terra cotta in the firing process. After a team effort, BVTC and KEPCO+DBI were able to create 24 terra cotta columns with full entasis; each column incorporates 10 terra cotta column sections ranging in size from 31”-38” in diameter. 

Since preservation was an emphasis on this project, the Capitol Restoration Group insisted that the Capitol rotunda drum maintain its original dimensions.  KEPCO+DBI hired David Evans and Associates to perform a digital laser scan to verify the exact dimension of the rotunda.  This survey as well as the other site surveys provided KEPCO+DBI with the information necessary to design the panel system, from fabrication through installation, to ensure the rotunda's original cylinder dimensions were maintained.

During the first year of planning that went into the project, KEPCO+DBI worked closely with BVTC to produce mock-ups of different panelized elements of the terra cotta.  Since panelizing classically detailed terra cotta had never been done before, these mock-ups served as evidence that the reinstallation could be accomplished using this method; saving time, money, and increasing safety due to the reduced manpower necessary to complete the onsite installation.

The steel truss panels were hot-dipped galvanized before installation of the terra cotta, and to ensure that anchorage rusting would not damage the façade again, every piece of metal that touches the terra cotta is stainless steel.  The panel system that was developed also included mortar set terra cotta pieces.  Due to the fragile nature of the original terra cotta, it was determined that setting pieces of the old terra cotta on a mortar bed as well as mechanically anchoring them to the frame would provide additional support for the terra cotta pieces.
 
Ultimately 60% of the terra cotta was panelized for reinstallation.  In all, 204 terra cotta panels were fabricated for the lower balustrade, upper newel posts, upper balustrade, window hoods, cornice, and columns; the panels ranged in weight from 800 to 8,400 pounds.  Panelizing this much of the building allowed installation of the terra cotta onto the building to be achieved much faster then it would have if the rotunda had been entirely handset, since large portions of the terra cotta were set while the superstructure was being prepared.  In addition to the panelized portions, the drum wall veneer and consoles were reinstalled using a traditional handset method.  The terra cotta at the festoon and upper entablature was restored in place.

An unprecedented terra cotta restoration, each radial truss panel was engineered to incorporate both new and restored terra cotta while maintaining the original rotunda drum dimensions and blending harmoniously with the handset terra cotta as well as the pieces that were never removed.   Through the use of creative restoration methods including panelization, the Utah State Capitol rotunda will be restored and once again stand as a grand landmark overlooking the Salt Lake Valley.