Period
1783 – 1784
Maryland State House: Dome Restoration
HISTORIC LEGACY
The Maryland State House Dome is a massive wood trussed structure that surmounts the original State House building. It was not conceived in its current form with the original buildings, rather it replaced the original shallow dome and was completed in 1789. The Dome is an architectural confection consisting of 6 primary tiers diminishing in scale with 3 roof transition sub–tiers, including:
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The base drum
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Lower swept roof
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Upper drum
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Main dome
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Lower lantern
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Upper swept roof
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Upper lantern
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Upper dome
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The weather vane mounted at the top
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The Dome is a unique example of early American architecture, standing in contrast to the original State House structure as a massive, over-scaled masterpiece that embodies civic pride and urban architectural hierarchy.
Sitting at the highest point in Annapolis, the Dome was designed to be the city’s central landmark, visible from the surrounding area and even as ships approached the harbor from Chesapeake Bay. Interestingly, the Dome was conceived and built at the time when Annapolis was being considered for the Capital of the new union of states.
PROJECT OVERVIEW
This project was the first phase of a two-part, four-year comprehensive restoration project for the State House, State Circle grounds, and the Old Treasury Building focused on restoring the Dome.
RESEARCH & DOCUMENTATION
The initial Conditions Survey and Restoration Report for the Maryland State House Dome, completed in 2018, provided a history and conditions of the Dome structure and recommendations for restoration. As a tangent and outcrop of that report, MCWB produced a separate report on the evidence of original Dome access stairs with analysis of remaining evidence.
In 2021, an in-depth field survey, analysis and recommendations was conducted, followed by comprehensive construction documents and specifications. In early 2023, construction began on the restoration of the entire Dome.
RESTORATION
To successfully restore the Dome to its historic integrity, a series of detailed projects were undertaken, addressing both structural and aesthetic elements. The restoration process included the following:
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The installation of new slate roofing on both dome elements and transition roofs, with all new copper and lead flashings.
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Replacement of sections later cedar wall cladding to replicate original with old-growth cypress shingles, and restoration of existing original cypress shingles.
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New copper oval window architraves were crafted to replicate the deteriorated metal architraves (originally wood).
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Repair and replacement of wood structural elements such as studs and struts.
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Restoration of the original weathervane and flagpole.
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All windows were removed to a shop and meticulously restored.
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The upper balustrade was carefully disassembled to a shop and repaired, with improved structural and flashing elements incorporated.
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The entire wooden “skin” of the Dome, including the shingle cladding and moldings, was carefully stripped of multiple layers of paint. Various elements were repaired, restored, or replaced as needed. All wood surfaces were then refinished with a pure linseed oil-based paint system in a historically accurate, softer white, reflecting the Dome’s late 19th-century appearance.
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New metal internal access stairs were woven into the upper lanterns’ interior to enable safe access to these remote upper areas of the Dome.
