BOISE -- Restored marble, etched glass and lots of additional space make up the new and improved Idaho Capitol.
Contractors promised all along that they would come in under budget and on time, and they kept their word and finished a day ahead of schedule.
On Wednesday, those contractors handed the keys to the Capitol back to the state of Idaho.
Capitol commissioners toured the project for the first time and NewsChannel 7 went along on the tour.
Last minute touches are being finished and furniture hauled in, just in time for lawmakers and state leaders to move in before the 2010 legislative session starts.
The Idaho Capitol is nearly 90 years old and commissioners for this Capitol restoration project say it was the hidden features like plumbing and wiring that needed to be improved.
With that they decided to do that entire project and bring back original features from when it was built in 1920.
During a bad economy and tough economic times, the project price tag was $120 million -- the same as it had been projected from the start.
"There were many people who said it couldn't get done and if you really think about it, in this day and age to do a project this size in a two-year period and of that magnitude the cost, it is a huge cost, but they did come in on time and budget and I think all taxpayers will be pleased with the work that is done and they will be anxious to see it in January," said Sandy Patano, Capitol restoration commissioner.
What the public will see are changes to the carpet, drapery added, restored marble and etched glass installed.
But the biggest part of the project is the 50,000 square-feet of additional space. The underground wings were added for committee meetings and space for the public to watch and testify.
That brings the grand total to 251,000 square-feet.
By Dec. 4, the governor's office will move out of the Borah building and into the Capitol. It will take an entire weekend to do that.
Everyone will be in the Capitol by the start of the 2010 legislative session on Jan. 11.
The Capitol Commission is preparing a rededication ceremony and is inviting the public to view the Capitol before the session starts.
The "Grand Rededication Ceremony" is scheduled for noon on Jan. 9 on the Capitol's southern steps.
Everyone's invited to a "housewarming" that continues for the rest of that afternoon.
