Renovated Wyoming Capitol approved as updated National Historical Landmark

CHEYENNE — In 1987, the Wyoming State Capitol Building and Grounds was recognized as a National Historic Landmark by the U.S. Department of Interior, making it one of 35 state Capitols to receive this recognition.

In a Monday news release, the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office announced that the Capitol’s updated designation, which was approved on Sept. 2, “affirms the site’s exceptional value to Wyoming residents and all Americans.”

Every National Historic Landmark is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, which makes it eligible for federal safeguards and benefits under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, according to the state’s Historic Preservation Office.

“The recognition of the Wyoming State Capitol Building as a National Historic Landmark is a testament to our rich heritage and a reminder of the importance of safeguarding our history for future generations,” said Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer Brian Beadles in the release. “Our dedication to preserving the historic sites of Wyoming honors the stories and values they embody.”

Wyoming led the nation as the first state to grant women the right to vote in 1869 and was also the first state to elect a female governor in 1924. In the underground corridor connecting the state Capitol and Herschler Building is a bronze statue of Esther Hobart Morris, the nation’s first female justice of the peace, who helped lead the fight for women’s suffrage in the Equality State.

Former Wyoming Senate President Ogden Driskill and House Speaker Albert Sommers wrote a letter of support to the National Park Service last year to update the Wyoming Capitol’s historic landmark status.

“The restored Capitol and Wyoming’s role in women’s suffrage is a source of pride for the people of Wyoming,” Driskill and Sommers wrote. “And that is why we wholeheartedly endorse its updated designation to continue its proud history as a National Historic Landmark.”

The state Capitol is more than 130 years old and underwent a major, $317 million renovation construction project from 2016 to 2019. The project aimed to “replace outdated building systems, add critical safety infrastructure and address public space needs,” as well as restore historic building features, according to the Wyoming Capitol Square Project website.

“The restoration of the ‘People’s House’ ensured Wyoming’s future generations are exposed to the rich history contained in the Capitol,” Gov. Mark Gordon said in the news release. “This honor reflects the pride Wyoming’s people have for our history and the collaborative work that went into preserving it.”

Throughout the renovation, construction workers discovered original artwork as they peeled back the plaster walls throughout the building. The original walls were found to be decorated in a French style art called “trompe l’oeil,” which means “to deceive the eye.” After this discovery, a decision was made to decorate the walls with a similar art style and color scheme.

With major restoration projects out of the way, the Wyoming Legislature has committed to continue making small improvements within the three-story building and its underground corridor, formally known as the Capitol Extension, which connects it to the Herschler Building.

Sen. Bill Landen, R-Casper, has chaired the Legislature’s Capitol Interpretive Exhibits and Wayfinding Subcommittee since 2021. This subcommittee of the State Land Board — made up of the state’s top five elected officials — was tasked with finishing up the Capitol Square and pushed through different projects to update the Capitol’s interior.

New golden signage posted on the walls and windows, the rearrangement of the bronze statues of Morris and Chief Washakie in the Capitol Extension, and interactive screens displaying maps and descriptions throughout the building are just a few projects accomplished by the subcommittee.

Rotating gallery exhibits, a new wildlife auditorium and a renovated media room are a few upcoming projects that will be tackled next, Landen said.

As the Legislature gets ready to convene next week for the 68th Wyoming Legislature’s general session, dozens of visitors, lobbyists and lawmakers will walk through the Capitol’s hallways for the next couple of months. Landen said he has often run into visitors who stopped by the Capitol because of its National Historic Landmark status.

“The reason, of course, is suffrage. That’s one of the big feathers in Wyoming’s bonnet,” Landen said. “The fact that we were the first government in the world to grant women the right to vote, that’s a big deal. And so quite a bit of our effort on that historical exhibit committee has been to not just underscore that, but take pride in the suffrage moniker that Wyoming has.”

Although he’s served in the Wyoming Legislature since 2007, Landen has never tired of marveling at the beauty of the Capitol’s marble hallways, red carpeted stairs, and decorative statues and paintings.

“Every time I walk up those steps, I just never get over the privilege and the honor it is to be able to serve in that building,” Landen said. “A lot of great things have happened there, and I’m so glad that, a decade ago, we had the vision and the fortitude to get that building taken care of and renovated and passed on to the next five or six generations.”

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