CHARLESTON, W.Va. — An eight-year saga to renovate Capitol Complex Building 3 has taken a major step forward with the awarding of a $34.28 million contract to a St. Albans building contractor.
General Services awarded the contract to Paramount Builders to renovate the eight-story circa 1951 building designed by Cass Gilbert Jr., son of the architect of the state Capitol.
“We’re excited about Building 3, and I’m sure the Department of Commerce is excited to move in there next year sometime,” Department of Administration spokeswoman Diane Holley-Brown said Monday.
When renovations are completed, several Commerce agencies that are now housed in leased office space in Charleston and South Charleston will move into Building 3. Those agencies include the state Division of Tourism.
The awarding of the contract comes one month after a bid opening that saw Paramount Builders and P.J. Dick Inc. of Pittsburgh each bid $33.2 million for the base contract.
However, Holley-Brown said General Services opted to include several alternative construction options in the bid package, including construction of a one-story pavilion on the northwest side of the building that will house a loading dock and emergency generator for the building.
Paramount was the low bidder for each of the alternative design options…