Md. State House In Annapolis Unveils Renovated Dome
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ)-- The Maryland State House reveals its $800,000 make-over. It's the latest renovation to the oldest working state government capitol in the country.
Political Reporter Pat Warren reports, Annapolis residents are pleased with the new look.
Crews packed up the last of the scaffolding Friday, ending a job that started this summer with as many as 25 people working successfully to strip and repaint the State House dome while leaving every possible historical detail intact.
"Oh, it's beautiful! Yes, it's really nice," an Annapolis resident said.
Video from 1996 shows the last big renovation of the dome that required replacing wood destroyed by dry rot. In 2008, the State House was shut down for a $9 million renovation that involved rewiring and replacing the heating and cooling system as well as attention to architectural detail.
"We're able to learn a lot more about the building as it was originally constructed," one person involved with the renovations said.
The dome-- the largest in the U.S. built with wooden pegs and iron straps instead of nails-- is an attention grabber on its worst days. But now, she looks marvelous.
"It looks great, yeah it looks fantastic," an Annapolis resident said.
"I'm thrilled, it's gorgeous, best I've ever seen it," another resident said.
Last item on the dome to-do list-- repairing some of the floorboards in the crow's nest, expected to be crossed off that list by the time the General Assembly comes back January 11.
The new paint job is expected to last 50 years.
