Capitol Building

impressive features, the "Statehouse" had begun to fade with age. The interior restoration work would include restoration and refinishing of windows, repairs to marble flooring and decorative plaster, restoration of wood floors, refinishing wood doors and restoring hardware, upgrading electrical, smoke and fire-detection systems, improving exterior lighting, adding an emergency power generator, and installation of an elevator accessible to disabled persons.

The Idaho Legislature with its two chambers initially provided a mere $120,000 dollars for the project. In 2000, the evaluation master plan was completed and its total cost estimate put at $64 million dollars to do a proper job of lasting quality. In 2001, the Legislature granted a one-time appropriation of $32 million dollars; and bonds were issued to cover the other half of the Capitol project. In 2002–2003, crews completed Phase II of the project, which involved exterior facade repairs financed with a supplementary $1.5 million dollars appropriation for that purpose. In 2005, an increase in the state cigarette / tobacco tax helped pay for additional interior restoration expenses totaling $20 million dollars.

In 2006, the Legislature voted to finance two two-lrvel underground legislative office wings at a cost about $130 million dollars. However, in view of the U.S. national economic downturn of the Great Recession in 2008-2009, then 32nd Governor of Idaho Butch Otter (born 1942, served 2007-2019), proposed less underground digging depth and constructing only single-level underground wings. After legislators agreed to this budget modification, construction began and continued until 2010, when both interior and exterior renovations were finished.