What will repairs cost after WA Capitol break-in? Damages are ‘pretty sobering’

Officials described the damage to various historical artifacts in the Washington state Capitol building during last month’s break-in as “significant.”

And the price to mend such items? Well, it seems, not exactly cheap.

Lt. Gov. Denny Heck received a damage status report during a Nov. 13 joint meeting of the State Capitol and Capitol Campus Design Advisory committees.

“Pretty sobering,” Heck said.

Multiple flags and historic objects, such as a more-than-century-old piano, were burned or defaced during the Oct. 5 break-in. Officers arrested a suspect, 29-year-old Gunnar McLean Schubert. Prosecutors charged him with second-degree burglary and third-degree malicious mischief. He was released from jail with conditions, but without bail, and was ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation, according to court records. The Olympian was not immediately able to reach an attorney representing Schubert on Tuesday.

Calls to restore Capitol Campus security funding, millions of which was cut last session, have since amplified.

The Department of Enterprise Services (DES), which oversees the campus, has said it will soon release a damage estimate, likely later this week.

In the meantime, here’s what we know about the scope and cost of repairs. Protective window film

DES has been working to add protective window film to certain West Campus building windows after the break-in, a measure that’s supposed to deter glass from shattering. The suspect allegedly entered the building by smashing a first-floor window with a hammer.

DES declined to disclose the exact location or number of windows getting the security-film treatment. But spokesperson Kara Klotz did say that five buildings are signed up: * Legislative Building * John L. O’Brien, the state House of Representatives’ primary office building * John A. Cherberg, which mostly houses hearing rooms and offices for the Senate * LCM Modular Building, which was assembled to serve lawmakers and staff displaced by the multi-year Legislative Campus Modernization Project * Insurance Building

The Temple of Justice, as well as Helen Sommers and Irving R. Newhouse buildings, already have security film, per Klotz.

The approximate price for the window-film vendor: $350,000, Klotz said, plus $30,000 for DES staff time. She cited the funding source as the existing budget for minor DES work.

On Monday morning, multiple vans marked with “American Window Film” logos were parked on campus. Klotz confirmed that AWF Seattle is a subcontractor of the window-film project’s vendor, Washington Window and Glass.

Film installation is expected to be completed by Dec. 1.

Asked whether there are other similar protective or building-safety measures that DES is planning as a result of the Oct. 5 event, Klotz didn’t offer specifics.

“We are identifying short-term and long-term projects to strengthen security on Capitol Campus,” she replied via email. “We do not give specifics about security measures.” Rug, piano repairs

At the Nov. 13 joint meeting of the State Capitol and Capitol Campus Design Advisory committees, DES Chief Operations Officer Jo Aiken gave a status report on repairs.

Phase one featured immediate fixes, which are either already or soon-to-be done, she said. That includes fixing minor damage to the bronze busts of George Washington and Martin Luther King Jr. and their pedestals. The marble floor, where there were burn marks on the south-facing stairs, has also been mended. In addition, she noted that work will soon be completed on the historic Blüthner piano, which suffered a bit of fire damage.

The estimated cost to finish those repairs, according to Aiken: between $14,000 and $20,000.

The next phase includes tending to the historic rug and drapes that suffered fire damage in the State Reception Room. Moving the worn rug, however, is proving to be complicated.

One option would be on-site storage, Aiken said, which also runs the risk of seeing organic-matter growth because of moisture on the rug from the environment and lighter fluid used to begin the blazes. If it’s looking as though organic growth cannot be controlled, then the rug would need to be moved within six months.

Transporting it to off-site storage could carry a $100,000 price tag, including the damaged drapes. It’d be about $800 per month to keep in cold storage, Aiken said, adding that it would again cost money to move back after repairs.

Fixing the carpet is projected to run between $350,000 to $700,000, based on the repair quality, she said. That doesn’t include getting it to potential vendors in New York. The curtains would cost about $40,000 to restore.

“So we’re looking upwards of $1 million just to get it to New York, those two items fixed, and back,” Aiken said. “… So, incredibly costly damage.”

To only repair the burned area of the original teak floor in the State Reception Room would hover around the $8,500 range. A full restoration could be done in 2027, the cost of which is not currently known.

State Sen. Phil Fortunato, an Auburn Republican, asked whether any funds could be recovered: “I mean, we’re talking a total of a couple of million dollars now, correct?”

Aiken said expenses will be relayed to detectives handling the case, and the suspect could be held responsible for damages.

“That’s most likely to end up being a piece of paper,” she continued. “I don’t believe this gentleman is of means, so I don’t expect that it would come from the courts and restitution.”

The state has also been looking into whether insurance will cover some — if not all — of the damages.