The Old State Capitol building in Springfield, Illinois, is due for $15.1 million in improvements under the state’s Rebuild Illinois capital plan.
According to the State Journal-Register in Springfield:
The money will go towards a variety of improvements according to an announcement from the governor’s office Friday including replacement of the roof and wooden flooring, asbestos removal, and an expansion of the site’s public restrooms. The site, a reconstruction of the Illinois Statehouse from 1840 to 1876, will be closed to the public for the duration of the work.
“The Old State Capitol is one of the most revered historic sites in Illinois,” Gov. JB Pritzker said in a statement. “I’m proud that our administration is investing in the preservation of the site to ensure future generations can connect to this place and to the important lessons in history that are shared here.”
The investment comes after $1.6 million came to the Old State Capitol for drum — the area supporting the dome — repairs in the spring of 2021 before reopening later that fall. Now entering the second phase, the governor’s office said $17.6 million has been invested into the project.
The Old State Capitol is the site where future U.S. president Abraham Lincoln gave his famous “House Divided” speech in 1858 when he was running for U.S. Senate.
It’s also where Barack Obama announced his ultimately successful presidential campaign in 2007.
On a related note, local PBS stations will air a new documentary, “History Reborn,” about the dismantling and reassembling of the Old State Capitol in the 1960s. Here’s the trailer:
I’ve been told the documentary eventually will make its way to online platforms.
The building in downtown Springfield served as the Illinois capitol from 1840 to 1876. It for nearly 20 years has been the centerpiece of the city’s Illinois Route 66 Mother Road Festival.
North Sixth Street, an early alignment of Route 66, also runs right by the building.
(Image of the Old State Capitol in Springfield, Illinois, by Randy von Liski via Flickr)
Very interesting. I would like to watch this when it moves online.