Restoration of the U.S. Capitol Dome

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Beginning in 2013, the Architect of the Capitol began an enormous restoration of the dome of the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. Earlier this month, the restoration was completed, at a cost of $59.5 million.

More than a thousand cracks were repaired, interior and exterior decorations scraped, cleaned, and restored, and 1,215 gallons of paint were used to repaint the exterior.

Collected here are some images from the 1860s when the current dome was originally built, some images of the recent restoration process, and a few shots of the newly-restored structure.

The United States Capitol Building in 1846. The cornerstone for this structure was laid in 1793. The building here still had its original copper-clad dome completed in 1818. The newer, current cast-iron dome replaced the old one in the 1860s.

Hauling a fluted cast-iron column shaft for the peristyle of the Dome from the train station to the Capitol work yard in November of 1856. 

A view of the new dome, under construction, viewed from the Senate (north wing) roof, looking south, August 12, 1857.

Looking southeast down Pennsylvania Avenue showing first row of columns on the Dome. Photo taken about 1858.

East Front of Capitol Dome under construction, circa 1860.

Marble cutters work the monoliths. Construction at U.S. Capitol, 1860.

Construction at U.S. Capitol, including African American workmen with a column named in the photograph to recognize Abraham Lincoln's election as president on November 6, 1860. 

Participants and crowd at the first inauguration of President Abraham Lincoln, at the U.S. Capitol on March 4, 1861. Lincoln is standing under the wood canopy, at the front, midway between the left and center posts. 

The west front of the Capitol Dome under construction in July of 1861.

Northeast view of the Capitol Dome, still unfinished on June 28, 1863.

Washington, DC, in April of 1865. A bird's-eye view of the Smithsonian Institution building in the near distance with the Capitol building in the background. 

Architect of the Capitol Rigger, Al Ports (on right in black vest / cigar), and other AOC employees take a self-portrait 288 ft above the East Front of the Capitol while preserving the Statue of Freedom in 1913. 

Bird's-eye View of the Capitol on December 15, 2014. 

A conservator works on restoring a painting in the Senate reception area at the US Capitol on September 28, 2013 in Washington. 

Capitol Dome restoration, early October 2014. Deterioration and wear is visible on the facade as scaffolding is erected that will reach, and eventually cover, the entire Capitol Dome enabling restoration work.

Restoration work takes place in the space between the Capitol's interior and exterior domes.

A protective canopy in place above the Rotunda in May of 2014. 

Stone Damage on the Senate Extension. A worker removes bird wire and anchors from the Progress of Civilization pediment.  

Capitol Dome Restoration October 2015, close look at cast iron detail.   

Workers stand on the scaffolding that surrounds the dome of the US Capitol on November 17, 2015 in Washington, DC.

Scaffolding erected during the final painting phase of the Dome Restoration Project, in December of 2015.

Workers use a neutralizing solution to remove remaining layers of paint during the Rotunda Interior Restoration in January of 2016.

The final painting phase of the Dome Restoration Project begins in March of 2016.

Paint is removed from cast iron in the Rotunda in June of 2016. 

Rotunda Interior Restoration Work, June 2016 U.S. Capitol rotunda restoration work includes removing hazardous materials (such as lead paint), restoring ironwork, upgrading electrical and mechanical systems, installing new lighting and repainting to historically appropriate colors. 

Interior stairs leading to the newly-restored interior dome at the US Capitol on November 15, 2016.  

Shane Gallagher, construction manager at the Architect of the Capitol, poses inside the newly-restored Capitol dome on November 15, 2016. 

The Interior of the recently restored US Capitol dome is shown during a tour, on November 15, 2016 in Washington, DC. 

The Frieze of American History in the Rotunda of the United States Capitol contains a painted panorama approximately 300 feet in circumference, depicting significant events in American history. 

The Rotunda of the US Capitol is seen from the newly- restored Capitol Dome on November 15, 2016. 

The old House Chamber, designated as the National Statuary Hall by President Lincoln in July of 1864.

Interior supports between the newly-restored exterior Capitol Dome and the interior dome photographed on November 15, 2016. 

The restored U.S. Capitol Dome, photographed in November of 2016.