Before the Golden Dome
The State House neighborhood 1859-1907
State House with dark red dome, 1907
Vermonters today are proud of their granite State House with its gleaming golden dome set off by a green lawn and forested hill. But the dome on Vermont's State House has not always been golden. Between 1859 and 1907 the copper dome on the State House was painted dark red.
This exhibition takes a look at the buildings that stood next to and in front of the State House in the period before the dome was gilded, 1859-1907. As you look at this exhibition you can observe some of the changes that have taken place in the past 140 years as the early residential neighborhood developed into a governmental and corporate complex.
The staff of the Vermont Historical Society assembled this exhibition from the Society's collections. It was on display in the Vermont State House from October 2000 through January 2001.
Explore the State House neighborhood during 1859-1907.
Read Chris Bellamy's 1999 report on the Capitol Complex (PDF, 2004 edition)
View from the Court House tower, 1870
Montpelier, 1874
