In their effort to honor the tradition and historical significance in the chambers of the West Virginia Senate and House of Delegates, legislative leaders, along with the respective clerks offices, have made significant strides in recent years to enhance architect Cass Gilbert’s original vision for the legislative Chambers within the State Capitol. Knowing how important the Capitol is to the citizenry of West Virginia, both as a symbol of our democracy and a meeting place for their elected officials, the renovations have served to preserve the history of the Legislature for generations to come while also forging ahead into the future.
The Senate Chamber has undergone several structural repairs over the last few years under the direction of the Senate President and the Senate Clerk to stabilize the walls, restore the heating and cooling systems and fix the skylights and leaks in the ceiling. The carpet, which had been installed in 1962 in preparation of the Centennial celebration of West Virginia statehood, was recently removed and replaced with a pattern closer to the original design. When installing the new carpet, wires and outlets were incorporated underneath for future use of technology in the Senate Chamber.
The chairs at the members’ desks, all original furniture, were often being repaired but were in bad shape and in danger of falling apart. Rather than continue to repair the aging chairs, new chairs were ordered, designed and impressed with the Seal of the West Virginia Senate in time for the start of the 2009 Regular Session. The Clerks’ Desk also was removed so it could be refinished and returned to better working order.
Senate President Earl Ray Tomblin played a critical role in refurbishing the Senate Chamber and oversaw the renovation efforts on a near daily basis.
“This building is the crown jewel of the state and a source of pride for all West Virginians. I am honored to have been able to oversee efforts to renovate this beautiful Chamber,” said Senate President Tomblin. “Serving within this body, knowing the history and traditions witnessed by this Chamber, recognizing the joy on visitors faces as they look about this building at the architecture, made this worth preserving.”
In the House Chamber, the Speaker and the House Clerk have worked together managing recent structural upgrades to prevent further damage after years of neglect. When the chamber was painted a few years ago, the colors were matched to the original colors selected by Cass Gilbert and new chairs to compliment those colors were purchased.
The sound system has been updated, and a state-of-the-art voting board has just been installed prior to this session making the members names and votes more readable, emphasizing the openness and communication this current House leadership has evoked. “Push” technology, such as flat screen televisions outside the chamber and in the East Wing provide the updated House schedule and alerts for both the membership and the general public.
“The changes we’ve made help members participate in the process more efficiently and keep the public outside the chamber better informed, but there also were aesthetic concerns. This is a beautiful, grand piece of history that must be protected,” Speaker Richard Thompson said. “Modernization and historical preservation can co-exist, but it is a delicate balance.”
Tying both Chambers’ renovation projects together, the House and Senate chandeliers were each taken down and removed piece by piece for cleaning and repair. Missing pieces of crystal were replaced by the original company in the Czech Republic.
And although, as the adage says, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, the results speak for themselves. The citizens of West Virginia can now better appreciate Cass Gilberts’ vision of our Capitol being a priceless piece of art thanks to the efforts by lawmakers to carry on the traditions of the past while shepherding the Legislature into the future.
