LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The State Capitol administrator is defending the cost of restoring 46 antique statehouse chairs at a cost of nearly $2,000 each.

The wood-and-leather chairs are the original furniture used when the State Capitol opened in 1932. State Capitol administrator Bob Ripley says the $87,400 spent for the chairs will save money in the long run.

Two members of the Capitol Commission also defended the refurbished chairs. State Sen. Greg Adams says the furniture will last a long time. Former state Sen. Jim Cudaback says the chairs should be preserved in its original state as much as possible.

But Gov. Dave Heineman, who heads the commission, said in an emailed statement that Ripley should’ve been more sensitive to the cost.