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SALT LAKE CITY — Rep. Brad Dee warned the tour group Sunday that it would be no easy task to reach the cupola at the very top of the Capitol, but the Ogden Republican was smiling ear to ear as he took the first step of the 165-foot vertical journey.
The rotunda is perhaps the most photographed destination within the Utah Capitol, with intricate murals depicting some of the state's most iconic historical scenes — including Brigham Young and the pioneers entering the Salt Lake Valley — adorning the sweeping dome hundreds of feet above.
Yet few have ever seen the other side of the Capitol's dome or the iron inside the walls of the rotunda, which is why Dee called the tour a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" and a fitting way to celebrate the 100-year anniversary of the building's dedication.
"This Capitol looks as good if not better today than it did 100 years ago, and hopefully for another 100 years to come," said Dee, who also serves as vice chairman of the Capitol Preservation Board. "This dome and this cupola are what draw people to this Capitol."
Hundreds of steps up on several narrow, steep staircases later, the view on the other side of the Capitol's dome is much different from the decorative rotunda — but no less impressive.
Jerod Johnson, the engineer who oversaw the renovation project, said the dome was one of the most difficult parts of the Capitol to build, and yet workers in the early 1900s built it with remarkable stability.
"I look at it and I'm just flabbergasted at how good of a job they did 100 years ago," Johnson said. "Given what we know, they did as good as what possibly could have been expected 100 years ago."
All of the work to complete the dome was done in Utah — a project that was the largest of its kind west of the Mississippi River, he said.
"This Capitol ranks among the top five capitol buildings across the nation," Johnson said. "It's a magnificent structure, and it's such a credit to those who came before us with the vision to provide something that the state of Utah could make use of for many years."
The dome's original scaffolding and concrete surfaces remain intact, despite the Capitol's $250 million renovation project completed in 2008 to earthquake-proof the building, leaving many markings that proud visitors to the inner dome left behind.
Decades-old graffiti — initials carved, painted and drawn — decorate the dome's concrete insides, some dating back to the 1920s.
Dee said he's "no fan of graffiti," but it would be a "tough decision" to cover up any piece of the Capitol's history.
Ira Dern apparently painted his name in black on the inside of the dome in 1929 — a name Allyson Gamble, executive director of the Capitol Preservation Board, said was likely associated with the company hired to paint the building.
A final, 75-foot staircase leads to a small round opening at the top of the dome: the entry to the cupola crowning the 285-foot Capitol.
For those who brave the ascent, spectacular views of Salt Lake City await.
"My only regret is we can't bring more people up here," Johnson said, adding that the precarious climb would make it difficult to bring tourists up on a regular basis.
"I wish I could bring people up here all the time and help them understand not just the significance of this building and what it means to us as a state, but also to look at it as an architectural and structural marvel," he said.
