Fire and Recovery: What Happened

“This is a sad day for the University of Iowa, Old Capitol embodies the heart and soul of this university, and watching the dome go up in flames was painful for all of us. However, we want all our students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends of the university to know that we will begin immediately to plan to rebuild and restore it.”

—President Mary Sue Coleman

At 8:30 am, Tuesday, November 20, 2001 the Old Capitol of Iowa was struck by a fire that destroyed the building's 160 year old cupola, dome and bell. At 8:41 am the fire department was notified of the fire.

Fortunately, the interior of the building escaped being burned because of a fire wall that was installed during the 1920's rehabilitation of the building. Due to the efforts of the fire fighters much of the furniture in the building escaped severe damage. All furniture was quickly moved to the center of each room and covered with tarps.

The interior of the building suffered a great deal of smoke, soot and water damage. Some of the furniture pieces were warped and water damaged. None of the damaged furniture is beyond repair. All pieces in the building will be repaired and returned to the rooms upon completion of the recovery, rebuilding, and restoration.

Although the fire of November 20, 2001 destroyed the cupola and dome of the building, it did not cause the chandelier, which is suspended from the interior dome to fall. The staircase has suffered a great deal of water damage, all of which will be repaired.

The State Fire Marshall has ruled that the fire was started accidentally by a torch or heat gun.

If you wish to find out more in depth information of the interior damage of the building please go the Tour Before & After section of this web site. For information on the dome please visit the Dome & Cupola section.