Behind-The-Scenes Look At New State Capitol Seal

The weight of creating Oklahoma’s new state seal, coming in at more than 3,000 pounds, was not lost on Mark Palmerton. 

“We, The Crucible, was able to create this for the state of Oklahoma, and that’s special," said Palmerton, co-owner of The Crucible.

Four-plus years and 4,000-man hours later, the Norman foundry has completed the newest addition to the on-time and on-budget Capitol Restoration Project. 

The new seal was installed on Monday.

The bronze seal replaces the terrazzo one that was first installed in 1966, with some variations in design. 

As you can imagine, a work of this magnitude came with its complications, including getting the 14-foot-wide seal into the Capitol, which required removing some doors. 

“We were going to go in one piece, but that went bye-bye, so that really caused us a little bit more of a delay. Now, we’re pushing in at six pieces," said Palmerton.

But well worth the effort of Mark and his team. The seal, the crown jewel of the newly renovated ground floor of the Capitol. 

“It’s always exciting to be part of history, but to see it actually here and in person after it was in the foundry in Norman, I think everyone’s excited. People just keep circling around, and they’re like, it’s finally happened," said Bonnie Campo, OMES Public Information Manager.

This isn’t the first time The Crucible has created something for the Capitol. 

The Guardian, the iconic statue atop the building, was done by The Crucible in 2002. 

“Now, voila, 2020, 2021, I’m putting this, by axis, directly underneath it. How cool is that? I mean, that’s a nice legacy,” said Palmerton. 

While most of the big projects are completed at the Capitol, the latest addition doesn’t put a seal on the overall project. The state said there’s about another year of work, before the project is completed.