The Kansas Statehouse is slowly changing color, here's why

TOPEKA (KSNT) - Kansas' historic capitol building and home of the State Legislature is on a ticking timer as it slowly, inevitably, starts to change color.

The Kansas Statehouse is an iconic symbol of the Sunflower State. Standing tall in Topeka's downtown area, it hearkens back to the earliest days of the state when settlers were passing through in covered wagons and the nation was still recovering from the impact of the Civil War.

Construction on the grand building began in 1866 and wouldn't be finished until decades later in 1903, according to the National park Service (NPS). The Kansas Statehouse later found a spot on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1971 due to its important historic value.

People visiting the Capital City today, along with younger residents, are familiar with the new copper dome and roof of the statehouse while older residents may recall the green coloration it had prior to significant renovation work completed in 2014. Despite the new look of the statehouse and all the work put into it during the $332 million renovation process, the dome and roof are not immune to the impact of time. Similar to other historic landmarks made of copper, such as the Statue of Liberty in New York City, the statehouse's dome and roof will also, eventually, turn green.

27 News reached out to Vance Kelley with Treanor, one of the architectural firms hired to help restore the Kansas Statehouse to its current status, for his take on when locals can expect the building's roof and dome to once again turn green. Kelley, who spent 14 years working to restore the statehouse, said the green patina that will form on the copper surfaces is something that will appear gradually over time. Copper, once it is exposed to oxygen, will start to oxidize and turn a green or bluish-green color

"That green patina is a protection coating that forms naturally," Kelley said. "The copper starts out a bright shiny penny copper and then slowly turns to a bronze, a natural darker bronze appearance."

Kelley said he expects the new copper dome and roof to adopt the green patina in 30 or more years. He said the original copper dome and roof of the statehouse changed to the green patina in a shorter amount of time as the metal oxidized faster due to the presence of coal-fired steam plants which were common at the time.

"When copper is used for architecture, detailing, it will typically change its appearance through time," Kelley said. "That kind of transition is gonna happen here but it's going to happen a lot slower here than it did historically."

Darren Wade, an employee of the Kansas Historical Society (KSHS) who works inside the statehouse, said the air is much cleaner now than it was in the early 1900s. He said people back then would burn coal to heat their homes and businesses which would, in turn, speed up the process of the copper changing to the green color.

"If you think about the turn of the century, everybody had a coal chute," Wade said. "There wasn't the furnaces like we have today."

Wade said he believes the current copper look of the dome will last for around 35-50 years before turning green. He said the restoration job completed on the statehouse was worth both the wait and the investment.

"They [the restoration team] did it right and this building will still be standing here for generations to come," Wade said.

Kelley said Treanor took steps during the renovation work to ensure the new dome's lifespan was increased. One step they took was to take into account how the weather and temperature will cause the copper to expand and contract over the years.

"Back when we replaced the dome, it served over 120 years of service life on our statehouse, that's pretty incredible," Kelley said. "It's a fabulous material to use [copper], as long as the detailing is done correctly."

Wade invites anyone who wants to visit the Kansas Statehouse to do so and maybe join one of the tour groups that happen almost daily inside the building. You may also find some trinkets at the store inside the Kansas Statehouse made from the old copper dome for sale.

For more Kansas news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here.

Follow Matthew Self on X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/MatthewLeoSelf