Historic Upgrade! Georgia Approves $400 Million for Capitol Renovation

ATLANTA, Ga. – The Georgia General Assembly has approved roughly $400 million for a new legislative office complex and extensive renovations to the State Capitol.

The Georgia State Capitol was built in the 1890s.

Matt Sawhill, a Georgia lobbyist for Sawhill Strategic Partners, has spent many hours in this building. He stated that the project is needed.

“Simple things like going to the toilet, getting ADA compliant, and making sure that you can physically move around this building has some real challenges too,” explained Sawhill. Georgia Building Authority Chief of Staff Gerald Pilgrim anticipates that the projects will be finished by 2027.

“We’re proud that it’s a 140-plus-year-old structure; we get a lot of life out of our buildings, and we’re ready for it to last another 140 years after this makeover, given where we’re at in terms of technology and other changes. We have to put it in a position where it can serve the people for their current needs,” Pilgrim stated.

They intend to build a new legislative office building on MLK Jr. Drive, near the Agriculture Building.

The projected $392 million project consists of an 8-story office structure with a 500-car parking deck. A bridge would connect it to the state capitol. The plans include expanded conference rooms and offices, technology, carpet, a new security system, and the replacement of the antiquated 50-year-old HVAC system.

They’ll be rehabilitating areas that have altered throughout time, such as the state library, which was once available to the public. Pilgrim stated that elements of the Capitol have lost some of their historical significance.

“We’re able to take the stress off of this building on just having the large masses of people that are gathered in the hallway, we’re hoping that to move them, spread them out a little bit further throughout the building,” Pilgrim said.

This summer, they will begin by replacing some of the gold on top of the dome. They will pause their operations during the 2025 Legislative Session.