Colorado Capitol’s $17 million rehab unveils results

Crews work on removing the scrim surrounding the Colorado State Capitol dome, Dec. 26 2013. The weatherproof wrap that's covered the dome for nearly two years is starting to come off early Thursday morning. (RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post)

By the weekend, the gold of the Colorado Capitol should be glimmering once again, as crews slowly bring down the curtain that has shrouded the dome during the $17 million restoration begun in 2010.

The scaffolding 210 feet high will be taken apart piece by piece over the next six weeks.

"If we have done our jobs well, you won't be able to tell we were there," state architect Larry Friedberg said, "except the building will be in much better shape than it was before we started."

The curtain began to come down a few inches at a time at daybreak Thursday.

Whatever the weather, the gauzy cloth had allowed work to proceed every day that crews were available, said Doug Platt, spokesman for the state Department of Personnel and Administration, which has overseen the work.

The curtain, called a scrim, could withstand sustained winds up to 60 mph, and when heated, it acted like shrink-wrap, making the 350,000 pounds of scaffolding capable of taking winds up to 90 mph.

The 270-foot dome has been closed since 2006, when a chunk of cast iron crashed on the observation deck where thousands of school children and tourists visit.

That kick-started a drive to make repairs. The legislature appropriated $4 million for the overhaul. The rest came from grants, sponsors and other donations through a campaign called "Share in the Care Colorado."

The work has been painstaking, especially replacing the thinner-than-paper sheath of Colorado gold that covers the dome.

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Colorado Capitol's $17 million rehab unveils results