Capitols are among our favorite types of buildings to work on, and since our first investigation of the Massachusetts State House twenty years ago, we’ve had the pleasure of visiting ten of them – eight state capitols in addition to the U.S. Capitol and Canada’s Newfoundland and Labrador Confederation Building. Earlier this month, Vertical Access returned to the Michigan State Capitol, where we first worked in 2005 with Quinn Evans Architects and The Christman Company.
Kent inspects the drum of the Michigan State Capitol in 2005.
The last major restoration of Michigan’s capitol was completed in 1992, and the purpose of our 2005 visit was to see how the paint coatings and materials were holding up at the drum, dome and lantern. Nine years later, with over twenty years elapsed since the 1992 restoration, we once again made the trip to Lansing, Michigan to inspect the dome. This time, there were also reports of water infiltration. Returning with the same project team, technicians Evan Kopelson and Keith Luscinski surveyed the dome, drum and lantern using TPAS™ (Tablet PC Annotation System) to document existing conditions for an upcoming repair project.
Do all of the state capitols have domes?
All but twelve of the fifty state capitols have an exterior dome (original plans for both the Ohio and New York State Capitols included domes that were never built). Many early state capitol buildings in the United States were topped with domes inspired by examples from Europe and ancient Rome. The U.S. Capitol dome, completed in 1866, set the standard for the state capitol domes that would follow. Most of the current state capitols were built after 1866, and the national capitol’s massive cast-iron dome had a strong influence on many of them.
Access challenges
It can be difficult to gain hands-on access to all of those domes and cupolas. Fixed ladders, access hatches, and windows usually provide a way to reach the exterior of a dome lantern or cupola, where we can set up anchors for rope access drops. But some buildings have no access systems in place, like the Wyoming State Capitol, where we hauled a heavy 40-foot ladder into the dome in order to climb to the top. Even with these challenges, using industrial rope access for domes, cupolas, and towers is fast, efficient, and economical compared to other means of access.
The New Jersey State House before restoration (left, during VA’s 1996 investigation) and after restoration (right, during our 2013 visit).
Capital projects for capitol buildings
Monumental public buildings often have monumental price tags for restoration, with deferred maintenance being a major cost driver. Some of the challenges for building professionals working on state capitols include ever-changing occupant needs, increased standards for safety and security, accessibility, energy efficiency, and technology upgrades. Facilities maintenance was put on the back burner during the Great Recession, but many states are now moving ahead with repair and restoration projects. State capitols in the news for recent, ongoing, or planned repair and restoration campaigns include Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, and the U.S. Capitol.
A few of the conditions we’ve documented on capitol buildings.
Vertical Access’ “capitol” projects at a glance
Inspecting the U.S. Capitol dome. Photo by Jon Reis Photography.
United States Capitol
Dates and Architects: 1793 (William Thornton, Stephen Hallet), 1795-98 (George Hadfield), 1798-1802 (James Hoban), 1803-1818 (Benjamin Henry Latrobe), 1818-1826 (Charles Bulfinch), 1850-68 (Thomas U. Walter, Montgomery C. Meigs)
Landmark Status: National Historic Landmark
Materials: Cast iron
Scope of work: VA conducted a hands-on inspection of all of the cast iron dome’s exterior from the base of the Statue of Freedom to the peristyle column capitals.
Project team: Office of the Architect of the Capitol
The Michigan State Capitol in 2005.
Michigan State Capitol
Date and Architect: 1872-1878 (Elijah Myers)
Landmark Status: National Historic Landmark
Materials: Cast iron drum and sheet metal-clad dome, lantern and finial
Scope of work: VA inspected materials and paint finishes at the drum, dome, lantern and finial.
Project team: Quinn Evans Architects, The Christman Company
Inspecting the New Jersey State House in 1996.
New Jersey State House
Dates and Architects: 1792 (Jonathon Doane), 1845 (John Notman), 1871 (Samuel Sloane), 1889 (dome, Lewis Broome)
Landmark Status: Contributing resource in a National Register Historic District
Materials: Cast iron drum and lantern and gilded copper dome.
Scope of work: VA coordinated site investigations and safe access for a comprehensive restoration completed in 1999. Our 2013 investigation included ultrasonic testing, paint adhesion testing, and fiber-optic investigation with live-feed video.
Project team: (2013) Preservation Design Partnership, H2L2 Architects, Building Conservation Associates, Stephen McLaughlin Roofing Consulting (1996) Jan Hird Pokorny Architects & Planners, Robert Silman Associates, Vulcan Supply, Gold Leaf Studios, Preservation Architecture, Mazia/Tech-Com, Matthew J. Mosca, McKernan Satterlee Associates, Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities
Documenting the roof trusses of the New York State Capitol.
New York State Capitol
Dates and Architects: 1867-1875 (Thomas Fuller), 1875-1883 (Leopold Eidlitz, Henry Hobson Richardson), 1883-1899 (Isaac G. Perry)
Landmark Status: National Historic Landmark
Materials: Iron roof trusses, iron and glass skylights
Scope of work: VA surveyed the trusses supporting the massive roofs, performed water testing and fiber-optic investigation, and provided client access to skylights.
Project team: (2003-2004) Robert Silman Associates, (2006) Simpson Gumpertz & Heger
Inspecting the gilded copper dome of the Massachusetts State House.
Massachusetts State House
Dates and Architects: 1795-1798 (Charles Bulfinch and Charles Brigham), 1917 (Sturgis, Chapman & Andrews)
Landmark Status: National Historic Landmark
Materials: Sheet copper
Scope of work: VA surveyed the dome, which was gilded in 1874 and had been painted many times since then. The dome was restored and re-gilded following VA’s investigation.
Project team: Goody, Clancy & Associates; Gold Leaf Studios
Keith inspects the Wyoming State Capitol.
Wyoming State Capitol
Dates and Architects: 1886-1917 (David W. Gibbs, William DuBois)
Landmark Status: National Historic Landmark
Materials: Cast iron, galvanized sheet metal, sheet lead, and gilded copper
Scope of work: VA conducted a 100% hands-on survey of the drum, dome, and lantern exterior, characterized the materials used at various locations, assessed the condition of paint coatings (including adhesion testing and removal of samples), and identified prior painting campaigns.
Project team: HDR Architecture, Preservation Design Partnership, Robert Silman Associates, GB Geotechnics USA
Investigating the gilded dome of the West Virginia State Capitol. Photo by Swanke Hayden Connell Architects.
West Virginia State Capitol
Date and Architect: 1932 (Cass Gilbert)
Landmark Status: Contributing resource in a National Register Historic District
Materials: Gilded sheet copper and lead
Scope of work: VA performed an exterior condition survey of the dome and cupola.
Project team: Swanke Hayden Connell Architects
The interior rotunda dome of the Virginia State Capitol.
Virginia State Capitol
Date and Architects: 1785 (Thomas Jefferson, Charles-Louis Clerisseau)
Landmark Status: National Historic Landmark
Materials: Plaster, wood
Scope of work: VA provided access consulting for interior lighting of the capitol’s rotunda.
Project team: Hillier Architecture
Checking out the pediment sculpture at the Kentucky State Capitol.
Kentucky State Capitol
Date and Architect: 1905-1909 (Frank Mills Andrews)
Landmark Status: National Register of Historic Places
Materials: Limestone and granite
Scope of work: VA provided access and assisted in performing an exterior condition survey.
Project team: Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc.
Kelly inspects the Newfoundland and Labrador Confederation Building.
Newfoundland and Labrador Confederation Building
Date and Architects: 1960 (Lawson, Betts, and Cash, with A.J.C. Paine)
Materials: Limestone and brick
Scope of work: VA conducted a hands-on survey of the limestone masonry, hammer-sounding each unit, and used non-destructive evaluation to identify blind delamination within limestone units.
Project team: Jokinen Engineering Services
This video from the Architect of the Capitol about the U.S. Capitol dome restoration includes photographs from VA’s condition survey.
- For more state capitol history and news, visit Cupolas of Capitalism, and read about the retired couple who visited every state capitol in the U.S.
All photographs by Vertical Access except where noted otherwise