BY MORGAN CHILSON
Kansas Reflector
TOPEKA — State and local leaders gathered Thursday at the new Robert B. Docking State Office Building to celebrate completion of the three-year, $120 million project.
It took more than a decade for the state to determine what to do with the Docking building, as historical preservationists fought to keep the original 14-story facility, built in 1954. In the end, the state Legislature approved demolition and construction of a new three-story building.
“The opening of the new Docking State Office Building represents what we can accomplish when we work together to reimagine something from the past to meet the needs of today and the future,” said Gov. Laura Kelly in a news release.
The new building reuses significant materials from the original Docking building, according to a state website that tracks construction progress. More than 50,000 square feet of limestone was reclaimed and reused, as were granite, greenstone and multiple historical features.
“One of the goals for the new Docking Building was to create one of the most efficient, modern, and beautiful buildings in the country, and for this facility to be a ‘front door’ to the state government for visitors to the capitol,” said Kansas Department of Administration Secretary Adam Proffitt in the release.
Last week, Kansas Department of Administration Deputy Secretary Frank Burnam received the Innovation in State Government Award from the National Association of State Chief Administrators for his work on the project, the news release said.
“With 98% of the materials of the old building incorporated into the body of the new building, Kansas has integrated continuity and environmental efficiency into the Docking State Office Building,” said Brian Docking, grandson of Gov. Robert Docking. “Today I represent my great grandparents, my grandparents, and my father and uncle and the future of our family to say we are humbled by this honor.”
The total cost of the project was just under $140 million, with $60 million appropriated from the state general fund and the remaining balance paid through American Rescue Plan Act dollars, said Steven Wu, senior fiscal analyst at the Kansas Legislative Research Department.