South Dakota Capitol Getting New Roof

The South Dakota Capitol Building is getting a much-needed update.

For the first time in more than 40 years, the home of state government in Pierre is getting a new roof.

Plans call for the rubber on the flat surfaces to be replaced with a new rubber roofing membrane. The low slope and pitched roof surfaces will be replaced with Euroshield Tile, an indestructible rubber slate-looking product.

The dome roofing will not be replaced.

A crane is already in place on the property and will be used during the project, which is which is expected to be completed in November. During the construction, the north entrance of the capitol building will remain open.

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The 114,000-square-foot building was constructed between 1905 and 1910 at a cost of $1 million. The designs for the building were created by the Minneapolis architectural firm of Bell & Detweiler, who gave the building similar features to the Montana State Capitol in Helena, Montana.

The last major renovation of the capitol took place in anticipation of the state's centennial celebration in 1989. For the more than 20 years prior to the milestone, much of the building was restored and its tiled floor was also repaired.

More recently, stained glass throughout the building was restored in 2013.