WASHINGTON — Visitors to Washington have seen the iconic Washington Monument don a blanket of scaffolding while it undergoes repairs from an earthquake. Soon, they will see a similar look at the opposite end of the National Mall.
Starting next month, the U.S. Capitol dome will be covered with scaffolding for about two years while it gets its first complete restoration in more than five decades.
The project, budgeted at nearly $60 million, is handled by the Architect of the Capitol. The National Park Service is overseeing the Washington Monument repairs just over a mile away.
The dome will remain visible through the scaffolding, giving it a more transparent look than the monument, said Justin Kieffer, an Architect of the Capitol spokesman. The impact on Congress and visitors is expected to be minimal.
Kieffer said the dome is about 150 years old, “and we’ve been making sure that it’s safe and been conducting small repairs when needed.”
The cast-iron structure is the second dome to sit atop the Capitol. It replaced a smaller and potentially flammable wooden dome when it was built in the mid-1800s.
But the dome has not undergone a complete renovation since 1959-60, and more than 1,000 cracks have made it increasingly unsafe. Fixing the cracks and stopping any leaks are “required to ensure the building can last for another 150 years,” Kieffer said.
Another part of the restoration process is removing and replacing ornaments that are at risk of falling.
Public tours still will be conducted through the Capitol during the work, except for a few weeks when a canopy is being installed in the rotunda to protect visitors.