After 34 years of helping oversee Capitol restoration, Paul Mandell retires

Paul Mandell says he started working at the Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Board (CAAPB) in 1987, shortly after the Minnesota Twins won the World Series. Hundreds of thousands of Twins fans descended on the Minnesota State Capitol grounds to celebrate with the team after a parade.

"People thought I was hired to fix the Capitol after that," Mandell said with a laugh.

In reality, the Capitol had been crumbling long before that because of leaks in the exterior marble, which caused plaster and paint to peel inside. Parts of the exterior marble later started falling off the building outside, causing significant safety hazards.

"I remember talking to you actually about, you know, you’ve got your usual bonding request and I said, ‘Yeah, but I’m more careful where I walk because the stone’s falling off the building,’" he told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS during his last day on the job, June 30.

Mandell said he’s proud of the work he’s done, including helping oversee the $310 million renovation of the State Capitol that was completed in 2017. It’s not just the Capitol itself, but the layout of the grounds on the south side of the building near the front steps. It was converted from a driveway and parking lot for senators and their staff to a more visitor-friendly mall.

"It looks, functions and works so much better because it’s all about the pedestrians and the visitors being safe and being able to come here and gather," he said.

He’s also done a lot of work establishing various memorials on the Capitol complex that have become very popular with visitors.

As for the future, Mandell said he’d like to come back someday and greet those visitors as a State Capitol tour guide.