29 January 2024
TOPEKA (KSNT) – Governor Laura Kelly is celebrating the reconstruction of the Docking State Office Building.
Monday, Jan. 29 a ceremony was held for the reconstruction of the Docking Building located at Southwest Ninth Street and Topeka Boulevard. Kelly, along with Secretary of Administration Adam Proffitt, former Governor Robert Docking’s grandson, Brian and other state and community leaders left their mark by signing steel beams that will be used in the project, according to a press release from Kelly’s office.
“Since it opened over 65 years ago, the Docking State Office Building has served the people of Kansas well. It is important that we appreciate and honor the role the new building has played in our history and will now play in our future,” Kelly said. “The new Docking Building is taking us to a brighter future for our state government and the people we serve.”
The Department of Administration, working with Hutton Construction, is in charge of the reconstruction project.
“We have intended for Docking to be a gateway for Kansans into their government. It was that vision that guided us through the design process—to keep Kansas and Kansans centered,” Proffitt said. “The artwork, the materials, the exhibits inside the building will all be a nod to Kansas.”
Reconstruction for this historic building is expected to last 18 month and should be able to house occupants in the summer of 2025, according to the press release. In the new Docking building, people can expect an exhibition space, a café, a gym, a health clinic and an event center. The Docking building was built in 1957, and was named after former Kansas Governor Robert B. Docking, 38th Governor of Kansas in 1987.
Demolition of the Docking building started in early 2023. In October, 2023, 27 News reported rubble from demolishment of the Docking building was being dumped into the Kansas River.
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