Construction of the Utah State Capitol began December 12, 1912.
The architect was Richard Kletting, whose design was selected
from a number of entries in a state competition. The Capitol is
a Beaux Arts Classical design. The building was completed in
1916, at a cost of $2,739,538. It was designated a National
Historic Landmark in 1986. A major renovation completed in 2008
gave the building a seismic retrofit while maintaining and
restoring the original historic fabric of the building. James W.
Shipler founded Shipler Commercial Photographers when he moved
to Salt Lake City in 1890. His son Harry joined the firm a few
years later. State History acquired the Shiplers' negative
collection in 1988, and the studio, then on Main Street near 100
South, closed in 1989. The Shiplers often documented change over
time, as they did during the construction of Utah's State
Capitol. More than 150 glass plate negatives , from glass plate
negatives, document its construction from groundbreaking to
completion.