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Monday, May. 12, 2025

Was the Colorado Capitol dome covered with 4 pounds of real gold?

Por Jaijongkit, The Colorado Sun
yes

A two-year project to replace the aging Colorado Capitol dome completed in 2013 used 65 ounces of pure gold — about 4.06 pounds — to restore its iconic luster. 

The reconstructed dome is copper overlaid with gold leafing thinner than tissue-paper. The previous copper dome had lost much of the gold on its facade to weathering, leaving none to salvage. The copper was smelted down and reused in the new dome.

The project marked the fourth time gold leafing has been reapplied to the dome since it was first gilded in 1908. The Cripple Creek & Victor Gold Mining Company donated the gold used in the restoration, a gift worth $125,000 at the time. 

In all, the dome restoration cost an estimated $17 million and was paid for by the History of Colorado State Historical Fund, state taxpayer dollars and donations. 

The Colorado Capitol first opened in 1894.

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