Areas of the Capitol dome that were repaired over the winter. (Photo: Andrew Beckett)
While the public could not see it, the interior of the dome on Wisconsin’s state Capitol building spent much of the winter having repair work done.
Crews were repairing plaster, trusses, and an exterior gutter on the dome, which starts about 184 feet above the streets of Madison. Most of the work is nearing completion, and should wrap up this spring.
Project manager Ted Crawford said the main focus of the work was repairing plaster, which began to pull away from the structure of the outer dome of the building after humidity control systems were installed in 2005. Most of a 14 foot high area all around the base of the dome has been re-coated in plaster, following an inspection of the trusses that support the dome.
Crawford said the work is about 90 percent complete, with some final plaster repairs near windows at the base of the set to be done once the weather warms up. The state budgeted about $880,000 for the project, and Crawford said they are expected to come in at below that estimate.