Broken pulley to blame for flags not flying over Iowa City’s Old Capitol

IOWA CITY - There's a good reason why the American flag hasn't been flying from the flagpole atop the Old Capitol Museum building on the University of Iowa's Pentacrest in the past week.

And it doesn't involve politics or free speech. It's simply a mechanical problem.

According to UI officials. workers were lowering the American and Iowa flags at Old Capitol Dec. 5, preparing to raise them back to half staff in honor of the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, when the rope attached to the flags become stuck.

The pulley used to raise and lower the flags is now broken and needs to be repaired or replaced, according to UI spokesman Tom Moore. Because a crane will be needed to reach the pulley, facilities workers will wait until the end of the semester to make the repair, to minimize inconvenience to students and maximize safety, Moore said.