Remodeling History
After three years and $104.5 million, the renovation of Virginia's state capitol is complete. The building was designed by Thomas Jefferson, so renovating it was a daunting task. Architect George C. Skarmeas couldn't pass up the job of a lifetime, though. And he appears to have handled the challenge admirably. The "Temple on the Hill" has been reborn.
"If you think about it, it is possibly one of the most significant buildings in America," said Skarmeas, 52, who believes that Jefferson was the nation's most important architect. "It was designed by Jefferson. . . . He is the person who wrote the Declaration of Independence . . . and was president. I am very fortunate to have the opportunity to work on something designed by a genius like Jefferson. When a commission like this appears on the radar screen, you say, 'My God, this is probably the job of a lifetime.' I had absolutely no hesitation."
After three years and $104.5 million, the renovated and expanded Capitol will be officially opened today by Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) and a host of other dignitaries. The completion of the project, which includes renovations inside and outside the building, didn't come a minute too soon. The nation's second-oldest working statehouse will host a visit by Queen Elizabeth II of England on Thursday.
I've always loved old buildings, they have character. This one is magnificent. The Washington Post was kind enough to provide a very nice interactive tour of the renovated capitol which includes commentary from the people involved and some neat panorama displays that you control.
By skh.pcola, May 1, 2007 @ 8:10 am
Gotta hand it to journalists, when there is good or neutral news to report, they have no problem identifying the Democrats immediately…when there is blame to be assigned or bad news though, it takes 20 paragraphs for them to type the “(D)”.