The East Rotunda was completed in 1879 and was designed by Richard von
Ezdorf for the Navy Department. The glass was painted over for black out
purposes after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, as were all the skylights and
domes in the building. Restoration of this dome (1984-1985, 1994)
included the removal of paint from the original red, white and blue glass
and the replacement of two panes. The National Park Service paint
analysis revealed the color scheme in the surrounding area, and aluminum
and dutch metal paints were applied by painters of the
General
Services Administration to replicate the original silver and gold
decorations.
![[West Rotunda dome]](/WH/Tours/OEOB/images/West_Rotunda=medium.gif)
The West Rotunda was completed in 1884 and designed by Richard von Ezdorf for the War Department. The original glass was removed in 1950 and replaced with concrete, 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.
