HELENA — People in Helena may have noticed a big change Thursday morning at the Montana State Capitol. Crews were working before sunrise to bring down the 15-foot, 2,000-pound statue, known as “Montana,” from the Capitol dome.
“The whole team has been very conscious, very aware of the special nature of the project,” said Russ Katherman, administrator of the Montana Department of Administration’s Architecture and Engineering Division.
(Watch the video to see more from the moving of "Montana.")
Taking the statue is the latest step in a major restoration project on the building’s dome and roof.
“Montana” was originally created by the sculptor Edward Van Landeghem and installed in 1900. Leaders believe it hasn’t been fully removed from the dome since at least the 1930s; since then, it’s only gone through minor repairs.
On Thursday morning, crews separated the statue from its base, then a crane lifted it into the air – bringing it down more than 100 feet onto a trailer to be moved.
Anthony Schrillo, who gives tours of the Capitol for the Montana Historical Society, came out to watch “Montana” come down.
“It's just a tribute to the equipment, the operators, how smooth everything went,” he said.
Up close, it’s easier to notice the wear and tear the statue has experienced over decades exposed to Montana weather. Katherman said there are visible seams, places where the copper has split and structural questions about the framing underneath the thin outer layer. There are many bolts driven into the back of the statue, potentially showing areas of earlier repairs. In one case, a quarter coin was tacked onto the statue’s face.
Schrillo said the statue underwent significant repairs after it was damaged by a windstorm in the 1930s, and he had been particularly interested to see the signs of those repairs.
“Montana” is currently being kept in secure storage. In the coming weeks, restoration experts will be examining the statue to determine what type of work needs to be done before bringing it back.
“We want to take a full look and give her a full evaluation – what to do to make her last well into the future,” Katherman said.
Katherman said the statue will likely go out of state to be worked on. He said they’ll have a better idea of the next steps by the end of this month.
With “Montana” removed, construction crews will be finishing their scaffolding over the Capitol dome, then covering it with protective wrapping while they remove the copper paneling, inspect the inner structure and eventually install new copper panels.
Schrillo says he’s looking forward to when the work is done and “Montana” makes her return.
“A statue and Capitol dome that’s ready for a next century,” he said.
