CHARLESTON, W.Va. — One of the state’s most recognizable landmarks will soon be ready to be looked at again.
Gov. Jim Justice announced Tuesday the $15 million state Capitol dome restoration project has reached a point where the exterior covering can now be removed and the intricate scaffolding taken down.
“It’s truly exciting that we’ll see our beautiful Capitol dome highlighting the Charleston skyline once again,” Justice said in a news release. “The gold dome is absolutely one of the signature images of West Virginia and it carries so much history it’s unbelievable.”
State Department of Administration Secretary Allan McVey told MetroNews the covering will be off by the end of the month. He said it would take a couple more months to remove the exterior scaffolding.
“What’s left then is finishing up the interior work that needs to be done,” McVey said.
Work on the interior dome began about three years ago. There was a major problem with the original drainage system between the inner dome and outer dome and water had damaged the ceiling. The exterior free-standing scaffolding and covering were put in place about 18 months ago for outside work, McVey said.
“Putting that scaffolding up and not touching any part of the dome, both inside and outside, was an engineering miracle I think,” McVey said. “I think that’s the most interesting thing about this project.”
Work on the outdoor dome has included the removal of large limestone blocks for cleaning and repointing along with new paint and gold leaf gilding for damaged areas. McVey says inner dome work that needs to be completed is in between the two domes. He said the contractor hopes to be done with the interior work by late April or early May. Work already completed includes replacement of drainage pipes, updating the gutter system, and installing a secondary lining system.
The large chandelier, which has been in storage in Connecticut, will be returned the state and reinstalled when the work is finished.
McVey said it will be good to see the dome again.
“It’s a symbol of West Virginia. It’s owned by the citizens of West Virginia and it’s their capitol and their dome and we want them to be proud of it,” he said.
McVey also credited Gov. Justice for making maintenance on state-owned buildings a priority.
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November 18, 2020 at 05:09AM
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Capitol Dome ready to be seen again - West Virginia MetroNews
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