West Rotunda


West Rotunda skylight, 1987. Walter Smalling, Jr.
The West Rotunda was completed in 1888 and designed by Richard Ezdorf for the War Department. The original glass was removed in 1950 and replaced with masonite panels and the skylight was covered, for reasons unknown.

Research and restoration began in 1984 and was completed in 1988. The original designs for the glass were located at the National Archives. Research was done to find the color key, but none was located, so new colors were picked to match the original colors found during paint analysis of the surrounding plaster. The replication of the glass reflects a typical Victorian palette and the design includes an orange-mocha color with lavender and green accents. The surrounding plaster and cast iron decorations were painted and dutch metal simulating gold leaf was applied by the GSA in-house painters.

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