16: Building Exterior

A New Dome

By 2014, the State House dome had suffered 104 years of exposure to rain, hail, and snow. It had also been leaking. The time had come for repairs, including the replacement of the dome’s oxidized copper sheathing.

**Aerial View of Dome with Scaffolding**
*Consigli Construction/Butch Moore photo*

The new copper was bright and shiny like a new penny for about six months. Now, it has oxidized and is a dark brown. The dome’s copper won’t turn into the familiar green color for another 30 years.

The replacement of more than 7,000 square feet of copper covering the dome has dramatically changed its appearance. Over the next 30 years, the copper will slowly oxidize to green.
*Consigli Construction/*Anne Dumont photo

Atop the dome is the Lady of Wisdom. This sculpture was created by Charles Clark Noble to represent the City of Augusta. During the 2014 restoration project, the sculpture received a critically important conservation treatment and a fresh new look with burnished gold gilding. Now her torch glows with a new LED light.