Have you ever wondered what’s inside that gold covered dome on top of the State House?
Well so did we, which is why we tried to arrange a private tour of the most recognizable spot in our beloved state capital, but unfortunately our efforts were thwarted when we learned it’s actually closed to the public. So instead of giving you this glamorous look inside the dome, complete with pictures and tall tales of all the fun we had, we all must continue to rely on our conspiracy theories of what actually goes on in there. Our first guess would be Saturday night poker tournaments for Senators only, followed by government grade telescopes where state employees can see for miles and miles to spy on the good people of Concord; and lastly, one of those cool spinning restaurants for only the who’s who of Concord.
Mike Connor, Deputy Commissioner for the Department of Administrative Services, kind of ruined our fantasy though by telling us that it’s just a big open area complete with post and beam construction. But maybe he’s just trying to keep the secret on lock down by trying to throw us off the trail. Who knows if Mike Connor is even his real name.
“It’s attached to the State House, kind of floating on the roof,” Connor said. “It’s just an open area.”
Nevertheless, Connor did give us pretty sweet info about the dome and the upcoming project that’s set to take place next year. Did you know that the shiny surface of the dome is actually gold? Yep, 23.5 carrots to be exact, and it’s applied through a process called gilding. And it’s actually quite fascinating. The best way Connor could describe the process is that the gold, which comes in a size that’s a little bit bigger than a dollar bill, but much thinner, is put on one at a time.
“It’s a very, very thin material,” Connor said.
So if you happen to look up at the dome at some point next spring and summer, you’ll see what we mean. That’s because the dome has to be regilded after the previous application didn’t work out as planned.
The typical life of the gold is 30 years, but it’s only been 11 since the last time it was done in 2004.
“The gilding didn’t last,” Connor said. “Because it sat over the winter, it lost some of its stickiness.”
The project was supposed to be done this year, but further research revealed that in order to complete the face lift in one calendar year, there would need to be a platform installed to support the thousands upon thousands of pounds of scaffolding necessary to have it done. It added a cost of $1.3 million, but is a one time fix that will help with future renovations.
“In order to get it done in one season, they’re going to have to do full scaffolding,” Connor said. “It’s going to have to go right to the top, right to the eagle. We’ll have some big pieces of steel.”
But don’t worry, the platform, which is set to be installed later this years starting in August at the base of the dome and tied in with the original foundation, will seem as though it dates back to the construction date of 1818.
“It will look like it’s supposed to be there,” Connor said.
And while they’re up there, the wood sections will get a fresh coat of white paint. We’re pretty sure they’ll clean the windows too.
“They need to go up there and strip it all down,” Connor said. “There are some areas that need to be scraped and some of the wood needs to be replaced.”
When the scaffolding goes up in March, the real fun begins. What you see in certain spots right now is the copper base. The entire gold portion of the dome will be chemically stripped, two coats of special primer will be added and then comes the sizing. No, we’re not talking about making sure the gold fits, but rather the sticky adhesive needed for the gold to stick, which just so happens to be called size. That’s really the stuff that didn’t do it’s job last time.
“It’s always been gilded since the building was built,” Connor said.
There’s a total of 4.7 pounds of gold being stored in a local bank, which came with a price tag of $177,000. It will be added with the use of a camel brush, and let’s just say it’s going to take some time.
“Gilding is an art,” Connor said. “It’s like taking $1 bills and putting them on one at a time.”
But before you know it, the bright and shiny dome will be back to being bright and shiny.
