The Archives has recommended several activities be undertaken during Fiscal Year 2000 to document, refurbish, and celebrate the Maryland State House, and to conserve the state owned collection of art which enhances the Annapolis campus of state buildings, including the Peabody Art Collection. This work is proposed in conjunction with the restoration work that has been undertaken by the Department of General Services which is scheduled for completion in the spring of 2000. This work is the most comprehensive effort to stabilize the structure in the last 50 years. To complement this effort, the Archives, on behalf of the State House Trust, proposes the following activities be undertaken so that not only is the building preserved but the visitors experience is commensurate with the improvements that have been made.

Historic Structures Report for the Maryland State House

The Maryland State House is the most historic building in Maryland and has served as the heart of Maryland history and government for more than 200 years. As the oldest state house still in legislative use and as a building of great architectural importance, it has been designated by the Secretary of the Interior as one of only 2,200 National Historic Landmarks in America. The National Park Service defines National Historic Landmarks as "places of national significance that illustrate the nation's heritage." The guardians of such sites have a special duty to retain as much of the original fabric as possible and to make sure that any repair and restoration work does minimal damage to that fabric.

The first, vital step in determining what is original fabric in an historic building and in documenting changes to it over time is an Historic Structures Report. Portions of the State House date from the eighteenth century, others from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Understanding the periods of architectural development present in the State House is crucial to its preservation. This basic document will serve as a guide to future generations in their stewardship of the building. Fortunately, an important piece of such a report was done in 1986, when the Maryland State Archives commissioned an Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) of the State House at a cost of $125,000. These detailed HABS drawings can now be used by an historic preservation architect as the basis for a detailed examination of the building, documenting which elements are original and when later changes and additions were made. Elements of this report will include:

• Detailed architecturally and mechanically accurate drawings of the State House over time maintained in permanent electronic format;
• Historic paint analysis for stratigraphic studies and historic color restoration;
• Dating of the building through analysis of the material evidence of historic building technology;
• Documentation and recordation through photography and computer-aided drafting;
• a comprehensive, inter-active and well-indexed web-based report that consists of analyses and recommendations supported by:
• historical photographs in an easily retrievable format;
• archival documentation of all changes and alterations made to the State House over time;
• historical files of biographical and other material relating to the structure and other structures past and present encompassed in State Circle.

In order to demonstrate Maryland's place in United States history as well as the state's respect for its rich history, it is necessary to fully understand the State House as a historic structure and the Archives urges the funding of an Historic Structures Report.

Cost: $500,000
 

Conservation of Paintings and Historic Furnishings in the State House and the Annapolis Complex

To coincide with the completion of repairs to the State House, the Archives recommends that all the paintings, furnishings, and other artifacts currently on display or in use be conserved or restored. This work would include conservation of 55 paintings, 200 pieces of furniture, and 100 other decorative items such as candlesticks, andirons, iron chests, and clocks. The Peabody Art Collection, which was acquired by the state in 1996 and is already on display in buildings in the Annapolis Complex including Government House, is also in need of considerable conservation work. It is critical that the state, as the guardian of these two very important collections, maintain them in good condition for future generations.  

Cost: $425,986

Refurbishment of the State House Exhibits and Gala Opening of the State House

It has been 15 years since any significant attention has been paid to the ways in which the State House spaces are used and interpreted. During this time, visitation has increased greatly and new and exciting information has come to light regarding the structure's design and construction. It is time to incorporate new scholarship into the interpretation of the State House, and to plan for enhancing how visitors experience the building and its history.

The present work plans for the building offer an ideal opportunity for the Department of General Services, the Maryland Historical Trust, and the Maryland State Archives to enter into a cooperative project to preserve and interpret the State House for the 21st Century. Every year some 250,000 visitors come through the State House on guided tours, in addition to the thousands of people who come there on the business of government. Careful planning is important to accommodate the visitors of the 21st century and to enhance the way in which they experience Maryland's premier tourist attraction. For this reason, we recommend that funds be made available for the purpose of a reevaluation and redesign of existing space configuration in order to facilitate visitor circulation. Specific elements which are crucial to accommodating large numbers of visitors with as little impact on the historic structure, include the following:

        The Visitors' Center

The placement and the configuration of the Visitors' Center must facilitate the efficient handling and movement of visitor through the building. The existing space needs to be reevaluated and perhaps redesigned and the possibility of the incorporation of the Old Treasury Building into a visitors space should be considered.

Electronic Exhibits

Visitors to the State House should be able to access historical information about the State House, its architecture, its place in history, its exhibits, and the objects on view to the public by means of electronic kiosks in the building. The kiosks should provide visitors with an electronic tour of the public rooms as well as images of the exhibits and objects in them. These electronic displays should be interactive and should also allow people to access information about other sites which relate to Maryland history and culture. These same electronic exhibits would be available on the world wide web through the Archives' website devoted to the Maryland State House and its Museum Without Walls.

The Exhibits

Most of the exhibitions in the State House were created at least 12 or 15 years ago and are now showing the inevitable signs of serious wear and tear. The plexiglas cases in many instances are breaking and splitting, many of the images are no longer easily readable, exhibit backgrounds and support textiles are worn and faded, and some objects from cases have necessarily been removed for security purposes. (Due to budget restraints, the objects removed have not been replaced with replicas.) The USS Maryland Silver Service cases should be replaced and the display redesigned to include other objects related to the USS Maryland. Funds to refurbish some exhibits and redesign and replace others are essential to upgrading the appearance and interpretation of this important historic building, and facilitating the public's understanding. All exhibits in the State House would be designed to enhance not only the public and international perception of Maryland, but also to compliment the electronic exhibition in the visitors' kiosks and on the Archives' website Museum Without Walls.

The Old Senate Chamber

There are a number of steps which should be taken to make it more interesting and informative to visitors and to upgrade its appearance to reflect its historic significance, including new wooden guard rails to replace the iron guard rails and new interpretive labels relating to the portraits and furniture in the room in the visitors' area.

Once all of this work has been performed, the State House Trust should host a gala opening of the new exhibits, to showcase the state's care for the building and to publicize the new exhibits and information kiosks. This would take place in the spring of 2000 when the restoration work is complete and the new exhibits in place.

The State House Book

As the most historic building in Maryland and one of the most beautiful and distinctive state houses in America, the Maryland State House is an ideal subject for a richly illustrated "coffee table" book. Not only will the book provide wonderful images of the building and its treasures, but it will also offer an in-depth examination of new research and scholarship which has emerged in the past few years. For instance, in researching the origins of the wooden dome atop the State House, the Maryland State Archives and the Maryland Historical Trust discovered a great deal of new information on the dome, the unusual acorn which crowns it, and its lightning rod of national symbolic significance. This book will also draw on the work that the Archives has done to document the historic fabric of the building and the drawings which have resulted from this work. In addition, it will connect the building of the State House and the architect of its distinctive dome, the largest wooden dome in North America, with significant national events such as the establishment of Washington, D.C. and the building of the U.S. Capitol.

This book, which will be a joint undertaking between the Archives and the Historical Trust, will be an important contribution to historical and architectural scholarship and will also be a viable commercial enterprise. The book will serve as a visible reminder not only of the importance of the State House, but also of the individuals who pursued its preservation. Furthermore, this book will be part of a series of books that the Archives is now producing on Building Maryland: A History of Public Structures and Public Servants, 1634-2000. The first in this series will be published in fall 1998 and will be entitled If These Walls Could Talk: From Private Mansion to Public Residence, The Official Homes of the First Ladies and Official Hostesses of Maryland. The projected publication date for the State House book is 2000.

Cost: $97,884

Total Amount Requested: $1,191,370

General Funds: $1,009,648
Special Funds: $181,722