“We had a vision that we wanted Utahns to connect with this building in a way that if they were going to go on a road trip through Utah, they would be able to see the different landscapes (and its) symbols,” said Jones, executive director of Utah Capitol Preservation Board.

A group of Utah reporters from various outlets, including Utah News Dispatch, were invited to the Utah Capitol on Monday for the public’s first look at the stained glass dome that’s been installed atop the new building that’s currently under construction to replace what was once known as the State Office Building at the Utah Capitol’s complex in Salt Lake City.

The dome will act as a laylight for the north building’s atrium — and Jones lauded it as one of at least several special works of art state officials will unveil as the north building nears completion. She said it’s expected to be done by the beginning of next year, in time for the Utah Legislature’s 2026 session in January.

To capture a behind-the-scenes and up-close look at the stained glass masterpiece, reporters were invited to step atop scaffolding more than 200 feet in the air. As construction finishes, the scaffolding will be dismantled — and to most, the dome will only be viewable from hundreds of feet below. But Jones said state officials wanted to show off its vivid colors, textures, hidden symbols and intricate details before the platform came down.

Glowing with sunlight, hues of blue, red, orange, yellow, green and every color in between poured through its glass. The 25-foot by 25-foot dome featured 89 panels of stained glass made up of 14,000 individual glass pieces.

Its panes contain at least 34 depictions of Utah landmarks and symbols — some easier to spot than others.

A flaming orange Rainbow Bridge arches over a seagull, Utah’s state bird. Honeybees (the official state insect) buzz around blooming sego lilies (the state flower). The Colorado River flows through Bryce Canyon and Goblin Valley, two of several Utah state parks featured in the mural.

A Bonneville Cutthroat Trout (the state fish) bursts through a creek flowing near a golden grove of quaking aspens, representing the famed Pando Aspen Clone — the world’s largest collective root system found in Fishlake National Forest.

You may have to squint, but hidden in the stained glass lead lines are symbols including a Utahraptor skull, a cougar, a dragonfly, a hummingbird, a lizard, a hopi kokopelli and anasazi symbol of the sun deity, and even an outline of the Great Salt Lake.

The stained glass mural was designed by lead artist Dallin Orr at the Lehi-based stained glass studio Holdman Studios, selected through a competitive bidding process. Orr told reporters his goal was to capture “harmony” by balancing all of Utah’s “chaotic and diverse biomes,” from the snowy mountain peaks to the deserts — all anchored around the dome’s center point, the sun.

Karen Ferguson, the building’s architect, said the dome’s shape — its double curve, transitioning from a square frame to a circle that rounds into a dome — makes it unique.

Her favorite part? The bristlecone pine — made with sand collected from all of Utah’s 29 counties.

“That has every county in the state, right there,” she said. “And it’s just so iconic of Utah.”

Before walking reporters up to the top of the building to see the dome, Jones said the project has been “near and dear to my heart,” and that she hopes others will experience a “wow moment” like she did when she first saw it.

“We want this to connect with Utah,” she said, adding that the stained glass artwork is special because it’s now “part of the historic fabric” of the Utah Capitol complex. “That is pretty special. We have built this to be long lasting, with the 100-plus year context of this building.”

Jones said when she first saw the completed dome, “it legitimately took my breath away.”

“At the risk of sounding cheesy, it was an emotional thing for me,” she said. “When you pour your heart and everything into a project. … I mean, this is part of history.”

Jones said for her, the elk seen trudging through the snow from behind a pine tree evoked memories of her dad — who she said died in the ’90s while elk hunting after he suffered from a heart attack. “He died doing what he loved,” she said.

Like her, Jones said she hopes Utahns looking up at the mural will find something special they can “connect” with “in their own way.”

The dome cost $1.6 million to complete, according to Jones — a price tag that she said was well worth it to create an iconic piece of art that will become “the historic fabric of this building.”

“It deserves to have the presence that it has,” she said. “Especially when it represents all things Utah.”

The dome is just one piece of a larger construction project that’s been underway at the Utah Capitol complex since 2022. At its groundbreaking, state officials estimated the building would cost about $165 million, but since then its price tag has hit about $208 million, with state officials blaming construction inflation for the price increases, the Deseret News reported.

When combined with another $73 million for renovations to the Utah Capitol complex’s central plaza fountain and an underground parking structure for lawmakers and state employees, the entire construction project has totaled about $281 million, according to state officials.

The new north building will replace the old State Office Building, which was built in the 1960s. For years, state leaders had eyed replacing the building, which was not only aging and in need of upgrades, but didn’t fit with the rest of the Utah Capitol complex.

Now, the new north building will not only match the white stone and marble styling of the rest of the Utah Capitol’s buildings, but it will be more than just an office space for state employees. It will also be the new home for the “Museum of Utah,” as well as offer conference rooms, and other spaces for the public.

The entire construction project, along with redoing the outdoor plaza and the underground parking lot, is all meant to create more space and help better connect Utahns with their Capitol.

“We’re doing all this,” Jones said, “to make coming to the people’s house easier.”

Utah News Dispatch is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.