Capitol restoration progresses: fourth-floor work, glass floor installation and dome inspection move forward

The Michigan State Capitol Commission on an unspecified 2025 meeting heard an update from Executive Director Rob Blackshaw on the status of multiple restoration projects at the Capitol, including fourth-floor decorative painting, glass-floor installation in the rotunda, and a drone inspection of the exterior dome.

Blackshaw said the fourth-floor east-side restoration is under way and that Evergreen was selected as the decorative-painting contractor. He said technicians opened portions of the west-side plaster to inspect cracking in the grand stair archways and found matching cracks in the underlying brick; engineers currently say the arches do not need structural reinforcement but the condition will be monitored. "Once we did a study even more, it looks like these cracks are over 30 or 40 years old," Blackshaw said.

The commission heard that crews will remove the existing ceiling in the main lobby where past moisture and glycol leaks caused paint and plaster to delaminate, waterproof pipe runs above the ceiling and install new finishes to prevent future deterioration. Blackshaw said the work on the west side is phase one and scaffolding is now in place; after July 4 the team expects to move further into the west side and committee rooms.

Work on the rotunda's glass floor is also advancing. Blackshaw said Lucid Glass completed additional scanning after initial pieces sat higher than expected in 19th-century cast-iron frames; 20 pieces are in place and another 20–30 were due to arrive the following week. "So by July 4, we'll probably have 50 pieces in place," he said, adding the rotunda work remains forecast to finish by next spring.

For the exterior dome, the commission viewed drone imagery taken as an alternate to full scaffolding inspections. Blackshaw said high-definition photos and video allow staff and consultants to zoom in on paint condition and metal components and to plan targeted repairs without immediate full scaffolding.

Blackshaw also described a study of voltaic skylights. He said Loring Engineers is analyzing glass panels with embedded microcells that could look like skylights and offset an estimated 30%–40% of the chamber's electrical load; the firm has not yet provided a yield estimate. "We are having voltaic skylights being analyzed," Blackshaw said. "We don't know the yield yet, but the solar panels will definitely pull 30 to 40% off the electrical grid." He cautioned the system will not achieve full net-zero.

The commission requested additional photographs and updates; Blackshaw said he will bring more images to a future meeting to illustrate the level of detail involved.

Less urgent restoration items and sequencing details were discussed by commissioners during the update; no formal vote on these projects occurred at the meeting.