Of all the questions visitors to Colorado’s state Capitol ask, the most popular ones don’t deal with where the governor works or how laws are made.
“The most asked question is: ‘Can we come up to the dome?'” said Theresa Holst, who for the past three legislative sessions has been a visitor’s aide to the state House of Representatives.
Ever since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the answer has been no. The dome closed for security concerns after the attacks, and then for extensive remodeling to ease fire safety concerns.
But on Tuesday, the dome reopens for tours, making Holst’s job a little less dour. She will work as the dome’s tour supervisor.
The tours will start Tuesday at 9 a.m. and be held Monday through Friday, on the hour, every hour, until the final tour of the day at 2 p.m. Only 30 individuals at a time can go up to the dome to enjoy the 360-degree view.
The opening of the dome coincides with the opening of Mr. Brown’s Attic, a museum with all sorts of trivia about the Capitol. The museum is named after Henry Cordes Brown, who donated the land for the Capitol and also built the Brown Palace Hotel in a pique after he was banned from another hotel for wearing western clothes.
Illustrating Holst’s point that the dome is where the action is, up rushed Meaghan Payne, 12, who was visiting the Capitol on a tour with the Girl Scouts of the United States of America today.
“Excuse me,” Payne, who attends Collegiate Academy of Colorado in Jefferson County. “Can we go up to the dome?”
Holst gave her a sneak peek, a day before the official opening.
“It’s awesome,” Payne said, looking at the view out the windows of the dome and entertaining thoughts of tossing a penny down to the rotunda below before a scout leader warned her not to.
For more information about the tours call 303-866-3834 or go to www.colorado-dome.org.
Staff writer Christopher N. Osher can be reached at 303-954-1747 or at cosher@denverpost.com.
