The US Capitol's new look. Image via Architect of the Capitol.
The US Capitol dome will undergo a two-year restoration to patch up more than 1,000 cracks in the cast-iron hemisphere, the Architect of the Capitol announced today. While the dome is undergoing repairs, it will be covered in scaffolding from the tip of the statue of Freedom to where it joins the building’s main body.
The repairs are sorely needed, Architect of the Capitol Stephen T. Ayers says in a press release.
“From a distance the dome looks magnificent, thanks to the hard-work of our employees,” he says. “On closer look, under the paint, age and weather have taken its toll and the AOC needs to make repairs to preserve the dome.”
The dome hasn’t undergone a complete restoration since 1959-60. Close-up photographs released by the Architect of the Capitol show the dome in considerable disrepair, with rust fraying away the corners, deep cracks running along freizes, and whole chunks of metal crumbling off.
Two construction companies, Turner and Smoot, were awarded the $40.8 million contract in September. There is no start date on the project, but it should, for a couple of years, provide some relief to fans of the scaffolding currently sheathing the Washington Monument, which is due to come off next year. The design for the Capitol scaffolding, though, does not look nearly as impressive as the Michael Graves-designed illuminated shroud that covers the Washington Monument now.
Inside the Capitol Rotunda, crews will install a doughnut-shaped canopy along the dome’s underbelly to protect people walking through, and to preserve upward views of the Apothesis of Washington that decorates the ceiling. A similar canopy was installed in 1999 when the dome’s interior was stripped of lead paint.
Does Congress’s workplace really deserve to look this pretty when it’s covered in scaffolding? Image via Architect of the Capitol.
Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.
Capitol Dome to Get a 2-Year Makeover
The dome is in a state of grave disrepair, and the Architect of the Capitol will spend more than $40 million to fix it up.
Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.
Most Popular in News & Politics
Another Mysterious Anti-Trump Statue Has Appeared on the National Mall
DC Pedestrian Killed by Truck Carrying Tank From Trump’s Parade, Kristi Noem Went to Hospital for Allergic Reaction, and Most Virginia Primary Results Are In
The Statue Saluting January 6 Poopers Has a Permit
Man Jumps From AU Radio Tower in Apparent Suicide
Smaller Crowds, Big Emotions for Army’s 250th: What We Heard Around DC
Washingtonian Magazine
June Issue: Pride Guide
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
How Would a New DC Stadium Compare to the Last One?
The Culture of Lacrosse Is More Complex Than People Think
“Mean Mugging” at Ward 8 Candidate Forum Leads to Arrest
Did Television Begin in Dupont Circle?
More from News & Politics
Trump Declares Truce, Democrats Try to Fight Administration With Song, Driver Tells Police His National Mall Joyride Was Just a Joke
What to Know About the Dupont Circle “Deckover” Project
Nine Minutes With Jonathan Van Ness
War Not About Regime Change Upgraded to War About Regime Change, Alleged Ed Martin Spitter Faces More Spitting Charges, and We Spent a Few Minutes With Jonathan Van Ness
Trump Roams White House in Search of an Audience, Dismay in Richmond Cost Levar Stoney, and Miss Pixie’s Will Close
DC Pedestrian Killed by Truck Carrying Tank From Trump’s Parade, Kristi Noem Went to Hospital for Allergic Reaction, and Most Virginia Primary Results Are In
Another Mysterious Anti-Trump Statue Has Appeared on the National Mall
Army Says Tanks Didn’t Damage DC’s Streets; Trump Attends, Leaves G-7 Summit; and an Alligator Got Escorted Out of Fairfax