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Hennebery Eddy Architects is wrapping up a major survey of the Montana State Capitol building, in Helena, that will inform rehabilitation efforts for the 119-year-old building.

The Portland-based architecture firm’s Historic Resources Group led a thorough evaluation of the building’s condition. Their work involved laser surveys, rappelling and creating a historic building information model (HBIM).

Hennebery Eddy was called upon by Montana’s General Services Division to catalog the building’s condition largely because of concerns about the aging sandstone exterior and copper dome. The state has conducted some renovations over time, including interior work in the 1990s. The exterior structure has continued to deteriorate, however, leading to recognition that a more thorough update may be necessary.

鈥淭he state decided that rather than looking at all of these things in a piecemeal fashion, they wanted to get a comprehensive look at current conditions,鈥� said Carin Carlson, an associate principal and historical architect for Hennebery Eddy. 鈥淪o that’s what we’re doing.鈥�

The firm plans to present renovation options at different budget levels to Montana officials within a few weeks, Carlson said. The cost is expected to be 鈥渟ignificant,鈥� she said. Tough decisions will have to be made, including how much sandstone to replace.

鈥淥ur goal is to provide viable options,鈥� Carlson said. 鈥淲e certainly want some work to start. We recognize it’s going to have to be phased. It’s a huge building.鈥�

Construction of the original capitol, with a sandstone exterior, began in 1899 and was completed in 1902. Two granite wings were added in 1909, making the building 464 feet in length and encompassing 244,000 square feet. The capitol has three floors, a full basement and various mezzanine levels.

The building is on the National Register of Historic Places. The architecture is described in the 1981 National Register application as neoclassical, influenced by the American Renaissance movement and the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. The design by Helena architects Bell and Kent drew on the Minnesota and Rhode Island capitols.

Hennebery Eddy’s computer-generated HBIM includes information such as which windows are original and which are replacements, allowing Montana officials to evaluate materials throughout the building.

鈥淭he intention is we’ll be handing the state a tool they can use internally to manage projects and record maintenance activities 鈥� so it’s a living model,鈥� Carlson said.

Workers with Ithaca, N.Y.-based Vertical Access rappelled from the dome to evaluate the copper structure. The dome needs major work, Carlson said.

鈥淭he recommendations have been that the dome should be either significantly repaired or the copper replaced in kind,鈥� she said.

The original sandstone is wearing away 鈥� a common problem for buildings of the era.

鈥淭here’s just been this long-term, systemic problem with the sandstone,鈥� Carlson said.

Carlson, who works out of Hennebery Eddy’s Portland office, is collaborating with staffers in the firm’s Bozeman, Montana, office 鈥� aka Comma-Q Studio. The firm has performed numerous historic preservation projects for government clients, including federal courthouses owned by the General Services Administration.

鈥淚t’s definitely a larger scale than a lot of the things we’ve worked on before,鈥� Carlson said. 鈥淏ut in the end, they’re all historic buildings. They all have some of the same problems we’re looking for.鈥�

Design Beyond Borders is a 91视频 feature offering a look at the projects outside of Oregon being tackled by local architecture firms. To have your firm’s projects considered, contact the 91视频 newsroom at 503-802-7222 or [email protected].