State Capitol Construction Photos
The Utah State Capitol building under construction
Browse the State Capitol Construction photos.
The building
Construction of the Utah State Capitol began December 12, 1912.
The architect was Richard Kletting, whose design was selected from a number of entries in a state competition. The Capitol is a Beaux Arts Classical design.
The building was completed in 1916, at a cost of $2,739,538. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1986.
A major renovation completed in 2008 gave the building a seismic retrofit while maintaining and restoring the original historic fabric of the building.
The photographers
James W. Shipler founded Shipler Commercial Photographers when he moved to Salt Lake City in 1890. His son Harry joined the firm a few years later. State History acquired the Shiplers' negative collection in 1988, and the studio, then on Main Street near 100 South, closed in 1989.
The Shiplers often documented change over time, as they did during the construction of Utah's State Capitol. More than 150 glass plate negatives , from glass plate negatives, document its construction from groundbreaking to completion.