Press Release — Friday, March 5, 2010
For Information Call Anne Peterson at 208-373-7368
           or Bob Evancho at 373-7369

Expanded CAPITOL OF LIGHT Tells Idaho Statehouse History, Chronicles Recent Restoration, Construction

— Airs Wednesday, March 10, at 7:00 p.m. MT/PT

An expanded version of the documentary CAPITOL OF LIGHT weaves the story of the original construction of the Idaho Statehouse into the chronicle of the recent restoration, expansion and refurbishing of „The People‚s House.‰

This longer version of the Idaho Public Television production airs Wednesday, March 10, at 7:00 p.m. MT/PT, and incorporates more of the history of the building as well as scenes from the rededication in January.

„One character in the story, the original architect John Tourtellotte, seemed to still drive the story line,‰ says Bruce Reichert, executive producer, „so we brought him back in the guise of actor M.A. Taylor.‰

Taylor‚s portrayal helps reveal some of the thinking behind the structure that Tourtellotte and his partner, Charles Hummel, a classically trained architect and civil engineer from Germany, conceived for Idaho. By 1905 when construction initially begins on the Idaho Statehouse, the duo has already designed other buildings that remain a prominent part of Boise today.

„He loved skylights and the central rotunda; that white marble and scagliola, flooded with light, is one of the real achievements of this Capitol,‰ says Charles Hummel, grandson of the original Hummel, and a retired architect himself.

„Tourtellotte wanted to create a facility that the occupants had to live up to, and I think that is what has driven this whole vision,‰ Jeff Youtz, director, Legislative Services Office, says of the 21st century renovations and underground additions.

John Maulin, principal architect for the work just completed, says, „The most beautiful part of this building is probably a creation of the conservative nature of the time. It‚s the way that light is used; it‚s one color playing off another color but very much in the same spectrums.