New Hampshire — Dome, Cupola, Eagle

Dome and Cupola
The New Hampshire capitol building, including a dome topped with a gilded wooden eagle, was completed and the eagle put in place in 1818. During a major renovation of the building in 1909, the dome was rebuilt. I have found no mention of whether the new dome was a replica of the old one.

eagle images
courtesy of
Ben McLeod

Wooden Eagle
In 1957 a new eagle was made for the New Hampshire capitol dome since the original had deteriorated with weather and time. The new one is an element-proof metal replica which should stand up to weather better than the original. The gilded wooden eagle has been moved to the New Hampshire Historical Society.

2005 Renovation
On October 14, 2005, a full year ahead of schedule, the new gilding on the capitol dome was unveiled. The dome now has gold-framed panels with gilt bas-relief as originally intended by the designer. Dark gray paint is the highlighting background for the gilded designs: an eagle, a pair of American flags flanking an aegis (a shield from Greek mythology), and other symbols.

This is the first time the West Virginia capitol dome has been finished exactly the way it was supposed to be.

The changing dome
The original design of the dome was based on the building in Paris that houses Napoleon's tomb, the Hotel National des Invalides. That dome is partially gilded, and its lantern is completely gilded. Like Les Invalides, the original capitol dome was finished with gold leaf and a gray (lead-colored) field. This did not exactly follow Cass Gilbert's original design, but I have not yet discovered what the difference was.

The Renovated West Virginia Capitol Dome

late 2005 capitol dome
 
 
2005 images courtesy of
Linda Weekley
 

2005 lantern & eagle

2005 dome detail

 
 

2002 dome detail
image courtesy of
Mary Ann Sullivan
Bluffton University

In the mid-1970s, a highly controversial decision was made to have the dome painted gold and blue instead of being regilded. The 1983 image at right shows that finish, which would explain the dull appearance.

In 1988 the dome was finally regilded, and the gold leaf was applied to the entire dome, again not using the design originally intended. The next time the gilding needed work, Cass Gilbert's design was considered seriously.

In February of 2005, the West Virginia Governor called on the residents of his state to vote on which pattern the new regilding should follow. They chose to return to the original design.