Recreation of the Old House of Delegates Chamber

The Maryland State House was originally constructed in 1779 and is the only State House that has served as the nation’s capitol. Utilizing original construction plans, previous renovations and modern expectations of a functioning office building and exhibit space, The Christman Company, Beyer Blinder Belle and the Department of General Services, completed a building restoration plan for the Maryland Old House Delegates Chamber.

The 19th century Old House of Delegates Chamber was restored, using photographic and documentary evidence from an 1878 redecoration and restoration project directed by Baltimore architect George Frederick. Christman restored the decorative and ornamental plaster; decorative paint; detailed bronze light fixtures; installing custom woven wool carpet and custom woven wool and silk drapes; and provided custom millwork on the dais, as well as the desk of the Speaker of the House. During the restoration, 43 delegate desks were fabricated to match the original period. In addition, a mist fire sprinkler system was installed, which utilizes 1/15 of the water of a standard fire protection system, which will protect the historic fabric and artifacts in the case of a fire. Modern audiovisual equipment was also installed.