PHOTO GALLERY: House fresh off renovation for ’23 session

      When the Missouri House convened in January for this, the 102nd General Assembly, it did so in a freshly renovated House Chamber featuring new voting and message boards; refinished woodwork; updated wiring; and most importantly, badly needed new carpeting.

      You can see photos from before, after, and throughout that project in the gallery below (and linked here), and scroll down to read more about it.

2022 Chamber carpet replacement and renovations

      The work done during the summer and fall of 2022 was overseen by the Chief Clerk and Administrator of the House, Dana Rademan Miller.  Among other things, Miller has a deep appreciation for the history and cultural significance of the Capitol, and she brought that to this project. 

House Chief Clerk Dana Rademan Miller explains the design that was selected for new carpeting in the House Chamber. (Photo: Mike Lear, Missouri House Communications)

      “This Capitol is an art gallery … we have the beautiful quality works of art throughout the building … it is unlike any other state capitol that I’ve been in, in my time, anyway.  It’s the quality of the art that surrounds us.”

      She tells us that when the Capitol was being built more than 100 years ago the carpeting in the House was originally wool.  It has been replaced several times since then, the last time having been in 2008. 

In what was intended to be a cost saving decision the carpet installed at that time was synthetic.  Instead of saving money, this proved to be a costly choice that hampered business in the Chamber because the synthetic carpet built up static electricity more quickly than had the wool.

“Pretty quickly after we had that installed we were noticing that members were, as they were populating the chamber and walking about, they were building up a static charge and then they were shocking each other, but they were also shocking their voting boxes when they would go to vote,” Miller explained.  “A member would go to vote and they would shock their box, which then would create a chain reaction and it would shut their box down and … it would shut all of the voting stations behind it all the way to the back of the room.”

This problem developed at the beginning of a session, and obviously the voting system was of primary importance, so staff at the time had to quickly come up with a short-term fix.

“Our operations department had to fill tank sprayers with Downy and go through the aisles and spray the old carpeting with Downy to eliminate or reduce the static electricity.”

The wiring in the chamber was replaced that next summer to alleviate the static issues.  Now the Chamber is back to having wool carpeting not just for the sake of historical significance and functionality, but also because wool holds up better than did the synthetic. 

A lot of thought was put into the visual design elements of this new carpeting by Miller and others with a mind for history.  It leans heavily on symbology already found elsewhere in the Chamber. 

This image illustrates how features already in the House’s artwork (left) were recreated in the new carpet pattern (right). Here, the egg and dart border around a hawthorn blossom as seen in the ceiling of the House is recreated in the new carpet. (Photos: Tim Bommel and Mike Lear, Missouri House Communications)

“Specifically, we incorporated in the egg and dart, which symbolizes life and death; the oak leaf which symbolizes longevity, strength, endurance, and justice; the laurel, which symbolizes victory or honor and peace; the hawthorn blossom symbolizes purity; and then the dogwood is rebirth and hope and resilience.”

Miller said when these symbols were built into the Chamber they were meant to represent qualities that, it was hoped, would be found in the representatives in the House as well as in all people.

In these images can been seen the laurel pattern found on the ceiling (upper right and bottom images) that is recreated in the new carpet in the side galleries of the House Chamber. (Photos: Tim Bommel and Mike Lear, House Communications)

Among other work done during this time, professional woodworkers refinished the fine features of the dais and rostrum.  When carpet was removed from the stairs leading up either side of the dais, a fine cork floor – chosen for that structure in part to control sound – was uncovered, and it was able to be saved. 

      The members’ desks from the House floor were sent to a St. Louis company to be refinished for the first time in about 35 years, and before-and-after photos show that now they look virtually new.  Most of these desks are original to the building, their number having increased as the size of the House has increased since 1917. 

The removal of the carpeting and those desks also presented an opportunity to update the wiring beneath the Chamber floor.  This work will better serve the modern laptops and new voting boards.  It also added a system that will help the hearing impaired.

“We were able to install a loop system in the Chamber for those who need assistance with hearing.  They can tap in via Bluetooth to the loop system now and it will help them clarify and be able to hear the debate better,” said Miller.

The replacement of the voting boards had been a priority for Miller for years.  The old ones dated back to 1997 and were still running on a program that relied on Windows ’97. 

      Finally, the sound desk – which had not been original to a Chamber that originally had no sound system – was updated to a smaller, more efficient design.

      For Miller, as someone who admittedly loves the Capitol and its history, it has felt good to get to leave her stamp on the Chamber by having a project like this take place during her time as Clerk.

      “Our goal was to get the room ready for the next 30 years of use … I feel a sense of accomplishment because the desks are again beautiful and they are uniquely designed.  They were designed for that room, for those members.  We now have a floor covering that I feel reflects the quality of that room in general.  When you walk in we get so many complements about how majestic and beautiful and how fresh everything looks and that’s a very satisfying feeling,” said Miller. 

      She says there is still work to be done in the Chamber, including some plaster detailing and decorative paintings that need to be touched up.  She said there has been money set aside by the General Assembly for restoration of the Capitol as a whole, but the legislature will have to give more attention to that issue.

      “We need the full commitment from the General Assembly … we’ll see how that turns out,” said Miller.  “[The Capitol is] 100 years old and it has issues, as any historic home would have.   You have to do the maintenance and the upkeep and you have to do the remediation at times when you have environmental factors that have taken a toll, and we have all of that.”

      “We would need to make sure that we have the leaks and the plumbing and all of those things that are going on behind the walls repaired before we want to tackle some of those pieces of that puzzle that we need to do, but it’s all part of the bigger master plan.  We get the go-ahead to move forward with that, then I think you’d see some of these bigger items addressed.”

Miller settling into new role as Missouri House’s chief clerk

The new chief clerk of the Missouri House brings to the job years of experience, a love for the legislative process, and a passion for history.

Dana Miller has been appointed to be the Chief Clerk of the Missouri House of Representatives. The House will vote on her appointment after the new session starts in January. (photo; Tim Bommel, Missouri House Communications)

Dana Rademan Miller was the House’s assistant chief clerk for the past six years.  She has worked for the House since 2001 following internships in the Senate and the State Historic Preservation Office.  The House will vote in January on her selection for the role of chief clerk.

Miller succeeds Adam Crumbliss who was the clerk for the past 12 years and recently accepted a position with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.

The chief clerk is the nonpartisan top administrator for the House.  The office is responsible for making sure the lawmaking process complies with Missouri laws and the constitution, and for overseeing the chamber’s day-to-day operations.  It handles parliamentary inquiries; is responsible for the movement of proposals through the legislative process; and deals with legal matters involving the chamber.

“We’re not policy makers but we are policy facilitators,” said Miller of the office’s duties.  “It’s really kind of a neat job to have.”

The clerk’s office also heads up the extensive staff that the House has year-round that includes legislative and budget experts, printing and communication offices, and information technology and maintenance coordinators.

“We spend a good part of the year prepping for the session that starts and then we’re in session, and then we spend the months after session cleaning up the remnants of the session that’s just passed,” said Miller.  “I think any member [of the legislature] would tell you that even though we are technically a hybrid or a part-time legislature, being a legislator is a full-time job if you’re doing it properly, and I would say that the same holds true for the staff here in the building.”

The Missouri legislature has dealt in recent years with a number of scandals.  Perhaps most notable was the attention brought to the treatment of interns three years ago when a former House speaker and a former senator both resigned amid allegations of harassment.  Miller said she has no qualms about taking over leadership of the House knowing she could have a major role in responding to any future scandals.

“The General Assembly as a whole, we’ve evolved a lot over the last decade, especially last several years.  I think the culture has improved tremendously.  I think there’s always room for improvement,” said Miller, who credits former speaker Todd Richardson for improvements in that culture.

“I think when Todd Richardson came in he had made a promise to make this institution a better institution for the staff and for interns and for everybody in the building and I think he accomplished that,” said Miller.

It is the House staff that provides employees, legislators, and interns with sexual harassment training, partly in response to the scandal of three years ago.

As the House’s Deputy Chief Clerk for the past six years, Miller has worked with lawmakers like Representative Mike Bernskoetter in various procedural capacities. (photo; Tim Bommel, Missouri House Communications)

“Are there going to be issues?  I think you can’t ever say there won’t be, but I think we’re in a much better place than we were a few years ago,” said Miller.

In addition to her degree in political science, Miller has a degree in history.  That interest has always been sparked by the Capitol itself.

“It’s just a monument and it’s a special building.  I’d say it’s probably one of the most architecturally interesting and classical buildings that’s, by the way, also an amazing art gallery and a museum,” said Miller.  “I don’t know that you could find another building in the state that really has all of the functions that this one has that is integral to the operation of state government.”

Miller came to the Capitol at a time when plans were being made to begin restoring it, but those plans were tabled by an economic downturn.  She watched as the condition of the building continued to deteriorate.  Then in 2012 she was appointed to the then-dormant Missouri State Capitol Commission, helped spur it into action, and was made its chair in 2013.

The Commission’s work contributed to getting underway the multi-year project to restore and preserve the Capitol.  That project continues with sections of the Capitol being wrapped in a tent that allows crews to work in all weather, and it recently saw the statue of Ceres being removed from the dome for the first time in 94 years so it can be restored in Chicago.

Miller and House staff are now busy welcoming freshman lawmakers to the Capitol and helping them prepare for the new legislative session that begins in January.

Ceres statue removed from Capitol dome for first time in 94 years

For the first time since 1924 the statue of Ceres is no longer on the top of the Missouri State Capitol in Jefferson City.

The statue of Ceres from the top of the Missouri State Capitol building is removed for cleaning and restoration. The removal is part of a years-long project to restore and preserve the Capitol. (Photo; Tim Bommel, Missouri House Communications)

The 10-foot, four inches tall and 2,000 pound bronze statue of Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture, was placed on the Capitol dome on October 29, 1924.  It was taken down off of the dome Thursday morning by crane so that it can undergo cleaning and conservation.

The removal of the statue from the top of the dome took approximately five hours.

The statue was available for public viewing on the south side of the Capitol for a few hours before crews began preparing it to be taken to Chicago.  It is expected to be placed back atop the dome after roughly a year.

Ceres’ removal and restoration is part of an approximately $50-million project to restore and repair the exterior of the Capitol.

“We’re trying to eliminate the massive amount of water infiltration that’s been occurring in the building over the years,” said Cathy Brown, Director of the Office of Administration’s Division of Facilities Management, Design and Construction.

The Ceres statue is 10-feet and 4-inches tall and was sculpted by Sherry Fry of Iowa. (Photo; Mike Lear, Missouri House Communications)

Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe said the Capitol’s water damage is somewhat visible from the ground, but when he was up on the dome with the crews that prepared the Ceres statue for removal, it was much more apparent.

“When you get up and look at it, it’s amazing somebody didn’t get hurt; the stones are that deteriorated and there’s that much separation in some of the joints, so this project’s very, very timely for the safety of all Missourians that come down – thousands a year enjoy this Capitol,” said Kehoe.

Dana Miller is the Chief Clerk of the Missouri House and Chairwoman of the Missouri Capitol Commission.  She said the removal of Ceres is the latest step in the years-long project to restore the Capitol.  She said the exterior work represents the second phase of that project, which is about one-third complete.

“The east side of the building is currently what we call, ‘under wraps.’  All the stones – the joints are being ground out, they’re being re-tuck-pointed, we’re doing repair work on the stone that requires, in some cases, replacement.  In other cases it’s just cracks or partial repairs … that is well underway on the east side of the building.  At some point late winter to early spring we’ll be seeing the scaffolding come down when the east side is completed and all that scaffolding will move to the west side.  It’ll go up and then we’ll see the west side of the building under wraps and then that same process will take place on the west side.  The dome is the third factor – the drum and the dome … so when I say about a third of the way, you look at the east side of the building, the west side, and you look at the drum and the dome as the third component,” said Miller.

The statue of Ceres will be taken to a Chicago firm for restoration and cleaning. Several hundred people turned out to see the statue being taken down from the dome and during a public viewing after it was lowered. (Photo; Tim Bommel, Missouri House Communications)

After the second Capitol building in Jefferson City was destroyed by fire following a lightning strike in 1911, Missourians voted to approve tax funding for a new Capitol.  The tax generated approximately $1-million more money than was needed for construction of the Capitol, but all the money it generated had to be used on the building.  The remaining $1-million went into the artwork found around and throughout the Capitol, including the Ceres statue.

Historian and author Bob Priddy said that commission chose Ceres to adorn the dome because Missouri is an agrarian state.  Some have suggested that she should then face north because most of Missouri’s best cropland is found in that half of the state.  Priddy said she faces south because the main entrance of the Capitol is on its south side.

“She’s greeting and blessing the people who come to the Capitol.  That’s why her hand is outstretched.  It’s outstretched in blessing to Missourians.  You outstretch your hand in blessing to people as they come to see you,” said Priddy.

Brown said the plan is to restore Ceres to her south-facing position when the statute is returned to the dome.

Kehoe noted that just as this Capitol’s predecessor was struck by lightning there is evidence that the Ceres statue has been struck as well.

The Ceres statue is hoisted onto a truck before being viewed by the public. It took crews approximately five hours to slowly and gently lower the statute from the top of the dome. (photo; Mike Lear, Missouri House Communications)

“I asked the conservator, once we had her on the trailer and could see her very closely.  He didn’t know how many of the spots on her head and body were actually lightning strikes, but he has a way that he’ll check that and be able to let us know,” said Kehoe.

Miller said it’s exciting to see the project to restore and preserve the Capitol proceeding.

“It’s very gratifying to see the work happening.  We worked years – a lot of individuals in the building and out of the building have worked hard to get the momentum going and the funding secured to see all of these changes that have occurred,” said Miller.

The Ceres statue will be taken to the Conservation of Sculpture and Objects Studio, Inc, in Chicago, for cleaning and conservation.  The last time it underwent such work was in 1995 when a crew restored her to prevent deterioration, but the work was done while the statue remained on the dome.

The statue was created by sculptor Sherry Fry of Iowa.  Some historians believe the statue was modeled after Audrey Munson, a silent film star known as America’s first supermodel, who was the model for countless statues in the nineteen teens and nineteen twenties.

Brown said those who didn’t get to see the statue up close today will have another chance before it is returned to the top of the dome.