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Case study: The planning and execution of a complex and historic lift in Pennsylvania

Partner Content produced by KHL Content Studio

08 August 2025

Once the heart of Pennsylvania’s first public institution for the mentally ill, the Harrisburg State Hospital opened its doors in 1851 under the name Pennsylvania State Lunatic Hospital.

LGH cupola lift at Harrisburg State Hospital

Today, just over 20 years since the doors were shuttered, the Harrisburg site is being transformed to house state employees in laboratories where they will work on public health and food safety testing, plant disease diagnostics, air- and water-quality tests, and criminal justice investigations.

But as an homage to the site’s place in state history, plans are in place to feature the largest of several salvaged cupolas as a sculptural or landscape centerpiece on the reimagined campus.

First, however, the sizable dome – approximately 28 feet tall and roughly 10 feet by 10 feet at is base – had to be delicately removed from a crumbling roofline… intact.

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