Georgia lawmakers decide important questions in a small complex of buildings at the state capitol.
The most iconic of these buildings is the Gold Dome, built in 1889, where the public can watch their elected representatives in the state House and Senate chambers.
But one important question, related to the Capitol complex itself, is being decided out of public view: How should the historic Gold Dome connect to a new, eight-story legislative office building?
Historic preservationists and some state lawmakers are sounding alarm bells about one proposed answer — a skybridge.
“I do not wish to see the symbol of our legislative process being altered by something that looks like a paper towel roll sticking out of its side,” said David Mitchell, executive director of the Atlanta Preservation Center. “A skybridge is its own visual objection. You would have a protruding object coming out of a historic building.”
The skybridge would allow people to walk from the Gold Dome to the new tower on the other side of Mitchell Street without going outside, often during cold winter weather, or impeding vehicular traffic.
But another opponent of the idea, Wright Mitchell, president and CEO of the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation, compared how it might look to a “gerbil tube,” calling it “historically inappropriate” and “visually disruptive.”
The plans are part of a $392 million renovation project at the Capitol complex, most of which, including security improvements and a celebrated regilding of the dome itself, are already underway and generating positive reviews.
“During the session last year, we were all excited about how well it looked,” said state Rep. Debbie Buckner (D-Junction City). “I think the only thing that I’ve heard concern or questions about is what’s coming next.’”
Historic preservationists and their allies in the General Assembly helped to quash a similar skybridge plan in 1983.
And in the present case, there are other options.
The state agency overseeing the Capitol renovations, the Georgia Building Authority, also is considering connecting the old and new buildings through an underground tunnel.
A subterranean walkway would have its own set of challenges. But Mitchell suggests they could be engineered with help from one of the nation’s top engineering schools at Georgia Tech.
And Buckner says the alternative, the skybridge, would be impossible to blend in with the historic structure.
“I’m not an architect but I cannot imagine anything in my wildest dreams of how a skybridge connected to that side of the Capitol would be in keeping with the original architecture of the building,” Buckner said.
The skybridge opponents also object to what they characterize as opaque communication about the process that will guide whether an above-ground or below-ground connection will be constructed.
“I don’t think there have been any discussions to my knowledge,” Mitchell said. “I certainly have attempted multiple times to have communication with governing parties in the Georgia Building Authority.”
Buckner said she didn’t know much about the proposal even though she sits on the House Committee on State Properties.
“I called the Building Authority and asked what was the process and they told me that they did not know what the process was,” she said. “[The Capitol] is the people’s house. We say that frequently. And if it is the people’s house, the people should be involved in the process.”
Historian: Important to understand State Capitol located in city of Atlanta
The Georgia State Capitol was built on the former site of Atlanta City Hall/Fulton County Courthouse (1854-1884). The property was donated to the state by the city of Atlanta specifically for a new capitol building. In 1974, the Georgia State Capitol was named a National Historic Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The city of Atlanta includes a history of the Capitol on its website that notes, “Periodic suggestions to alter the exterior of the building have been met with a statewide public outcry demonstrative of the pride Georgians feel about the Capitol.”
“We know this is a state project, but the Capitol is surrounded by the city of Atlanta and that creates a unique dynamic,” said Mitchell of the Atlanta Preservation Center.
“That means Atlanta has to be reminded it is surrounded by the state, but the state also needs to understand it is surrounded by Atlanta,” he said. “I don’t think the Speaker of the House and Gov. Brian Kemp should be making artistic and stylistic design element choices for a significant contributing structure in the Downtown area of Atlanta that helps define our city and state.”
The deputy executive director and chief of staff of the Georgia Building Authority, Gerald Pilgrim, told Rough Draft that the General Assembly voted to fund the concept plan that includes building the skybridge from the Gold Dome to connect to the new legislative building.
A final decision has not been made on the skybridge, he said, but a decision could come before the end of the year.
Pilgrim said the state is consulting with a team of experts to address concerns raised by historic preservationists opposed to adding a skybridge to the Capitol building.
“If we did do a skybridge, how would that tie in? What would be the historical impact to the Capitol building? All of that has just kind of been in the exploratory stages at this point in time,” Pilgrim said.
“We’re tying a bridge into a building that’s on the the National Register of Historic Places,” he said. “So we’ve got to make sure that that’s being looked at. And if we do [add the skybridge], is this something that is going to affect the historical significance of the building?”
Construction on the new legislative building is expected to begin early next year. The decision to build the skybridge would not need to be made for at least another year or so, Pilgrim said.
“But I would expect that we would know probably know within [a couple] months if that’s the way we’re going,” he said.
Pilgrim also said safety is a key reason for many state officials and legislators to support the skybridge. It would allow them to avoid crossing a busy road, for example. It would also make evacuations of the buildings easier if necessary.
“But that’s all part of our research before making that determination,” he said.
More discussion of the Capitol renovations made Aug. 30 to the Georgia Fiscal Management Council can be found at this video link.
The new building is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2026.
Dyana Bagby contributed to this story.
