Cataloging the destruction
Though the Capitol stands, architectural fixtures were de faced and damaged.
After the insurgency comes the cleanup.
On Wednesday, a pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol — smashing windows, breaking through 19th century doors and pilfering historic objects, including the nameplate from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office. Tear gas and pepper spray were used in parts of the building, including the Rotunda, during skirmishes with law enforcement.
In the wake of the incursion, which featured the startling sight of extremists leaping into the Senate chamber and propping Trump f lags on historic statues, government assessment teams worked through the night to catalog the destruction.
“Wednesday was a difficult day for our campus,” J. Brett Blanton, architect of the Capitol, said in a written statement, describing scenes from the riot as “hard to watch.”
Although the building itself remains structurally sound, architectural fixtures and other elements were damaged.
“Our initial assessment is that most of the damage on the interior and envelope of the building is limited to broken glass, broken doors and graffiti,” a representative from Blanton’s office said via email.
“On the West Front, the teams identified graffiti on the building near the inaugural stands and two broken Olmsted light fixtures.
“There were also significant amounts of trash and debris. Statues, murals, historic benches and original shutters all suffered varying degrees of damage — primarily from pepper spray accretions and residue from tear gas and fire extinguishers.”
A spokesperson for the Committee on House Administration, which manages the operations of the House of Representatives, likewise reported that windows had been smashed and historic mahogany doors damaged.
“These are very old doors and very heavy doors, and they were smashed or attempted to be knocked down,” he said. “Door frames are splintered.”
Seven pieces of art on the House side of the building — including a marble statue of Thomas Jefferson — had been damaged by “a corrosive gas agent” ( likely tear gas or pepper spray). Also harmed were portraits of Presidents James Madison and John Quincy Adams.
Historic objects, such as Pelosi’s gavel and a lectern, the latter of which was seen being carted out of the building by a rioter in an image that went viral, were ultimately recovered.
But the speaker’s office suffered other damage, including destruction of a 19th century mirror that belonged to the federal government and many personal items, including a statue that had been given to Pelosi by the Dalai Lama.
More extensive assessments will be needed before conservators can begin repairing the damage.
In recent months, staff members at the architect of the Capitol have not only been laboring under the stress of COVID- 19 protocols but they’ve also been preparing for the 59th presidential inauguration this month.
( The office oversees construction of the scaffolding and other architectural elements for the inauguration ceremony, which takes place on the Capitol steps.)
Says Blanton: “Our staff showed exemplary professionalism during such a stressful time.”