Charleston Gazette-Mail
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The four original Capitol Rotunda murals now have company.
Work was recently completed on four more murals that accent the main artwork surrounding the Rotunda at the West Virginia State Capitol in Charleston.
Each new artwork depicts a woman and a child. The four murals are labeled with the ideals of justice, liberty, education and commerce. The new murals are affixed to the pendentives, curved triangular sections supporting the Capitol dome.
The first four murals — which were dedicated during a West Virginia Day celebration on June 20 — represent historical West Virginia scenes and are affixed to the Rotunda’s four lunettes, semi-circular spaces over entranceways to different areas of the Capitol.
All the murals are installed on the third level of the Rotunda, about 53 feet above the first-floor level. The murals were designed into Capitol architect Cass Gilbert’s original designs for the Capitol, which was dedicated in 1932. But funding for the murals was not available until recently, according to state officials.
