First pictures of the new Alabama State House and green space released
The first pictures of the new Alabama State House have been released, and construction has already started in downtown Montgomery. In May, lawmakers approved legislation that allowed them to sign a contract with the Retirement Systems of Alabama to build a new State House that will be leased back to the Legislature. Now we know what this new complex will look like. Secretary of the Senate Pat Harris says, ” The uniqueness of this building is that its never been done in the United States in 100 years…no one has built an entire State House or legislature with chambers and offices and had everything all in one building. A lot of states have refurbished old Capitols and just built new office buildings for the members of the legislature.”
A new aerial artist rendered picture shows a glimpse of what the area behind the Capitol will look like when the new State House is finished. The plans also include a large green space, and a pavilion that sits on top of an underground parking garage that can hold around 200 vehicles. Secretary of the Senate Pat Harris says, “We’ll take this old building down and make this a park area. As you can probably see, the Avenue of Flags is where the school kids are all the time and they put up tents and stuff while we’re in session, and this will provide a bigger area so people can come enjoy the entire Capitol complex.”
Harris says hundreds of thousands of students and other visitors tour the State House every year, and this will be a place to relax and have picnic lunches outside. The current State House has been in disrepair for many years. Harris says,” I can tell you this, we’ve had two fires, at least three major floods, and we’re fixing leaks in the roof all the time, so because of that it’s filled with mold and mildew and is not a healthy place to be.” Small committee rooms have also been an issue, but now five new committee rooms will have the capacity to hold hundreds of people. Harris says, ” That’s the most exciting thing because after I’m gone and the lawmakers who are here now are gone, this new building will still be here as a testament to how we feel about representing the people of the State of Alabama.” The new Statehouse will also be ADA compliant so there will be better accessibility for people with disabilities. Construction is expected to be completed by 2026 which will give lawmakers and staff time to get everything moved in, so they can start the 2027 legislative session in the new State House.
