New Plaster Interior Invigorates Ohio Statehouse Renovation
The Statehouse in Columbus, Ohio is the center of the state's government. Started in 1838, the cornerstone was laid on July 4, 1839, and it was opened for business in 1857. For almost 150 years it housed the state Senate and House chambers.
Constructed mainly of stone and brick, the building was built to last. And last it did. But almost seven years ago it was determined that a total renovation of the building would be necessary in order to restore it to its former grandeur.
The project was the grand finale of a renovation of government buildings in Columbus, and was preceded by the restoration of the Senate Building adjacent to the Capitol. As a part of the overall plan, the two buildings are being joined by an atrium.
Architects for the project were Schooley, Caldwell Associates of Columbus, with Jack Giljahn acting as project architect. Construction manager was Sherman R. Smoot Co., of Columbus.
It has taken nearly $110 million and seven years to complete, but the grand reopening of the Statehouse is now scheduled to be celebrated on July 4, 1996 - exactly 157 years after the laying of the cornerstone.
In detailing this mammoth project, architects tried to take each room and restore it back to its historic original condition, but at the same time, modernize the mechanical facilities to bring the Statehouse up to present day codes. Originally slated to cost $68 million, the tab for the renovation climbed to almost double the estimate due to unforeseen problems such as asbestos that had to be removed from the basement and attic.
One of the most painstaking and artistic aspects of the renovation was the restoration of the original plaster walls and ornamentation. The wall and ceiling contract for this aspect of the project was awarded to Oren Associates, Inc., of Huber Heights, Ohio, who worked under contract to Shook Building Group of Dayton.
The interior restoration involved re-plastering walls surrounding more than 102,000 square feet of floor space, at heights of up to 115 feet in the rotunda. Staging for the project was provided by WACO Scaffolding's Columbus, Ohio branch.
The wall and ceiling restoration, which is now almost complete, started with a limited crew in October of 1994, stepping up to full production by late January of 1995.
"We were ranging anywhere from 25 to 30 people there through 1995 and until the end of March 1996," said Bruce Hemphill, vice president of Oren Associates, who led the project.
To perform the renovation, the old plaster had to be completely removed and new plaster had to be applied. To do this, Oren's mechanics had to break away and scratch the old plaster from walls that were mainly constructed of brick and stone. New USG wood fiber, four-hour-set plaster for scratch and brown were used with a lime gaging plaster for the finish.
"The walls were mainly stone or brick," said Hemphill, "and in most areas where there was a ceiling, it was either an arch or vaulted brick ceiling. There was an attic above the House and Senate chambers, and the ceiling was applied to a lath of cast iron grate. In these areas, we removed the plaster, cleaned out the slots and re-plastered the original grate. The cast iron grate was very strong, probably between one-eighth to one-quarter inch in diameter. In areas where the grate was missing we just went back with regular channel iron and diamond lath," he said.
"The overall consensus was that once you broke through the finish coat of the old flat plaster work, the existing brown mortar and the scratch coats were really dried out and sandy and just fell apart," Hemphill continued. "Most of the construction was over stone or brick. In some cases, it was hard to remove and, in other cases, it would just fall off the wall once you broke the hard finish that was holding most of it in place.
"The majority of the ornamental work that was there was in fairly good condition," Hemphill said. "I would say most of it remained in place. There was some water damage in the Senate chamber that had to be repaired, but in general, the work on the ornamental details was more in the area of repair than recasting and replacing," Hemphill continued.
South Texas Drywall of Columbus did some of the new metal framing and partition work on the Statehouse restoration, dividing up some of the rooms into separate offices, and then performing some floor joist work where a raised floor was installed. The Myron Cornish Co. of Columbus did the acoustical work.
Hanger wires were provided by L.D. Peters & Sons, and some of the interior plaster trim was provided by Niles Building Products.
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