STATE NEWS
OKLAHOMA CITY – Deputy State Treasurer Tim Allen spent Friday packing.
Allen, along with about 50 other employees of State Treasurer Randy McDaniel’s office, spent the end of the week preparing to move the state’s treasury from its home in the Capitol building to a temporary home at 9520 North May Avenue in Oklahoma City. The movers arrived last Monday.
The treasurer and his staff are moving, Allen said, because their capitol offices are being remodeled. The treasurer’s office has been in the same location since the Capitol was opened in 1917.
Allen said the move has been planned for a while.
“With some agencies, such as the state auditor or secretary of state, it was possible for them to be relocated inside the Capitol while work was being done in their offices,” he said. “However, we couldn’t stay.”
UNIQUE PROBLEM
He said the treasurer’s office had a unique problem that required the relocation – a huge vault. “We are the bank for state government,” he said. “We had to have a secure vault. They (the builders) will be tearing out walls and rearranging things here, so we couldn’t use our vault.”
The original vault was built into the Capitol building.
The office’s relocation to the Commerce Center – a spot that previously housed a band – solves the vault problem.
“We focused on suitability, security and, convenience as key factors in choosing our location,” State Treasurer Randy McDaniel said. “We are committed to a seamless transition.”
McDaniel said the office’s temporary location will allow those who need to work with the treasurer’s unclaimed property staff, access to the office.
Allen said the treasurer’s office will occupy the lower level of the Commerce Center. He said the treasury expects to be displaced for about eight months.
CAPITOL BUILDING
OVER 100 YEARS OLD
Completed in 1917, Oklahoma’s Capitol building took three years to build at an original cost more than $1.5 million. The capitol was relocated to Oklahoma City after a contentious 20-year fight with the city of Guthrie over which city would house the seat of state government.
A push by the state’s first elected governor, Democrat Charles Haskell, eventually caused the Capitol to be moved from Guthrie in 1911, though several lawsuits – one of which went all the way to the United States Supreme Court – kept the debate over the location alive until 1913.
Construction on the Capitol began in 1914. And though the building is built of steel, limestone and granite, it has deteriorated over the years. In the late 1990s, some portions of the Capitol’s interior – including the chamber of the House of Representatives – were remodeled but problems with the massive structure remained unaddressed.
RENOVATION
In 2016, the Oklahoma Legislature approved a $245 million bond issue to completely renovate the 452,000-square-foot building. That project – now in its third year of a six year timeline – includes repairing 21 miles of mortar joints, restoring 477 windows and 43,000 pounds of cast iron.
In addition, workmen will replace about 3,600 feet of plumbing, and more than 4.5 miles of heating, ventilation and air conditioning piping.
HUGE PROJECT
Allen said the move is only the second time the treasurer’s office has been outside the Capitol.
The office was moved for about a week in 2017 when the entire capitol was closed for electrical work.
“They are upgrading infrastructure that hasn’t been touched in decades,” he said. “It’s a huge project but we will be back.”
That project [Capitol building renovation] – now in its third year of a six year timeline – includes repairing 21 miles of mortar joints, restoring 477 windows and 43,000 pounds of cast iron ... 3,600 feet of plumbing and more than 4.5 miles of heating, ventilation and air conditioning piping.