If you’re watching the inauguration today, you’ll see that the Capitol Dome is shining a bit brighter than it has in years past thanks to the hard work of the members of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades.
IUPAT members representing district councils up and down the East Coast worked on renovating the historic symbol of American government.
For over a year, the dome on the U.S. Capitol building was surrounded by more than 6,000 pounds of netting, 1.1 million pounds of scaffolding and two miles of decking. Fourteen layers of paint had to be removed and some of the original restored for the final look. More than 1,300 cracks and deficiencies were repaired in the dome, and 1,215 gallons of new paint were applied.
The total cost of the restoration since it began in the spring of 2014 was $96 million.