By Bill Salisbury

Pioneer Press

St. Paul — Quadriga, the golden chariot sculpture on the roof of the Minnesota state Capitol, will be under wraps starting next week, and the Rotunda and most of the offices in the rest of the 109-year-old building will be off-limits to the public as the massive restoration inside and out kicks into high gear.

After the July Fourth holiday weekend, workers will start replacing the roof and preparing the interior for installation of new heating, cooling, ventilation, electrical and plumbing systems, the Department of Administration said Thursday in a news release.

The Rotunda, entire east wing and the ground and first floors of the west wing will be closed.

“The interior and exterior of the Capitol is a live construction site,” Commissioner of Administration Spencer Cronk said. “We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to preserve this beautiful building for the next century, but with that opportunity comes some short-term inconveniences. There will be a lot of noise and detours.”

Gov. Mark Dayton’s office has been moved down the Capitol Mall to the Veterans Service Building, while Attorney General Lori Swanson and her staff have relocated to the Bremer Tower at 445 Minnesota St. in downtown St. Paul.

Senators with offices in the Capitol will remain there until after the 2015 legislative session, but Senate administrative offices have moved to the Centennial Office Building and 525 Park St.

The House and Senate chambers will, however, remain open to lawmakers during legislative sessions.

The Minnesota Historical Society will continue its regularly scheduled public tours of the open parts of the Capitol. The society has removed art from the building for safe storage.

The flagpoles atop the Capitol will be removed while the roof is being repaired. The official Capitol flags will fly over the Court of Honor Memorial in front of the Veterans Service Building.

Quadriga will be enclosed during reconstruction, and its male figure will be shipped off for repairs.

No parking will be available around the building’s immediate perimeter except for a limited number of spaces for people with disabilities.

—Distributed by MCT Information Services

Dayton and the Legislature launched the top-to-bottom fix-up of renowned architect Cass Gilbert’s masterpiece last year after an architect warned the building had reached a “tipping point” after which it would have to be replaced or constantly repaired.

Large chunks of white marble were falling from the crumbling exterior walls, cast-iron pipes were leaking, paint was peeling, and water-damaged plaster walls were disintegrating. The building needed another stairway and more emergency exits to meet safety codes, and its fire-prevention and security systems required updating.

The structure, which was built for $4.5 million a century ago, will cost $272 million to restore, in part to pay for installing glass-door elevators, tall French doors and other architectural enhancements that Gilbert included in his original design. The work is scheduled to be completed in early 2017.