The top congressional official in charge of the $59.55 million restoration of the enormous and iconic U.S. Capitol Dome has declared that it will be ready for unveiling in time for the January inauguration of the 45th president of the United States.
“We are in the home stretch,” said Stephen T. Ayers, the architect of the Capitol.
In fact, he had even better news about the project to restore the outer and inner dome. “There is a very distinct possibility that there will be money left,” Ayers said.
The project has been on the fast track to wrap up before the inauguration, which is held on the Capitol’s West Front. Ayers said the outer layer restoration is 87 percent complete and that the scaffolding that now encases the dome and much of the building will start to come down this month.
Some 13 layers of paint were removed, holes filled and the result reveals details that haven’t been seen in decades and “a renewed sense of beauty,” Ayers said.
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected]
