In the depths of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln is said to have viewed the construction of the U.S. Capitol dome as a symbol of the Union’s endurance.
Tuesday, a week after a bitterly divided country elected its 45th president, the government plans to unveil a new dome — refurbished, repainted, a renewed emblem of national unity.
The debut comes at the end of a mammoth, three-year, $60 million project that saw the 150-year-old dome covered in scaffolding while workers repaired 1,300 cracks and fixed or replaced scores of cast-iron ornaments and windows.
Some of the damaged ornaments — acorns, grape clusters, flowers — were recast at a special foundry in Utah. It was the first time that such ornaments were replaced.
On Oct. 27, Architect of the Capitol Stephen T. Ayers affixed the final restored decoration.
“The rosette attached this morning was one of the first removed,” Ayers said. “Reattaching this ornament in its fully restored form feels like coming full circle on this project.”
The dome is made of 9 million pounds of cast iron, which had been coated over time in 14 layers of paint, Ayers has said. Much of the iron was corroded, and water had been seeping inside.
For the first time, all 14 layers — which included some of the original paint — were removed. The surface was then repainted with 1,215 gallons of paint in three layers. The top coat color is “Dome White.”
The structure, 29 stories high, is the tallest cast-iron dome in world, according to the architect.
Erecting the 25 levels of scaffolding, made up of up of 75,000 pieces or 52 miles of metal pipe, began in May 2014 and was completed in November 2014.
The scaffolding started coming down this past spring and was gone by September.
The dome last had a restoration in 1959-1960. One goal of the latest project was to be finished in time for next year’s presidential inauguration.
The dome, a national landmark, is actually the Capitol’s second.
The first, a copper-covered wooden structure, was finished in 1824, according to the architect’s office. But over the years it was deemed too small, as well as a fire hazard, and was removed in 1856.
The new dome was topped with the bronze Statue of Freedom on Dec. 2, 1863, and the interior was finished in 1866.
During the war, Lincoln is said to have mused about the construction of the dome. He noted that some thought the work should be suspended because of the war. He disagreed. “If people see the Capitol going on, it is a sign we intend the Union shall go on,” he said, according to an account written years later.
Today, a ceiling mural in the Capitol’s House of Representatives wing depicts Lincoln overseeing construction of the dome.
