An illustration showing the casting of glass at the British Cast Plate Glass Company in Ravenhead.
Image courtesy of Stephen Wainwright, Sutton Beauty and Heritage
The casting hall of the Ravenhead glass works in Lancashire, England.
Image courtesy of Stephen Wainwright, Sutton Beauty and Heritage
Illustration showing the various methods of 19th century glass making in Lancashire, England.
Image courtesy of The British Plate Glass Factory, St. Helens, Lancashire. Welcome Collection.
Our Glass Floor
In the summer of 1878, workers began installing 976 pieces of glass into the new Capitol’s iron rotunda floor frame. According to newspaper reports, approximately 50 tiles could be installed in a day. Tradition says that these glass tiles—sometimes called illuminated tiles—were produced in Lancashire, England, by the London and Manchester Plate Glass Company.
The British Cast Plate Glass Company's plant in Ravenhead.
Image courtesy of Stephen Wainwright, Sutton Beauty and Heritage
1931-1932 Replacement
On January 18, 1931, a fire broke out in the east wing of the ground floor. Determined as “spontaneous combustion” at a cigar stand, the fire spread to the area underneath the glass floor. Hundreds of tiles cracked from the heat of the blaze, and smoke sifted up through the gaps and into the rotunda. The broken tiles were replaced with glass that was slightly thinner than the original – about 5/8”. As a result, wooden shims were inserted between the glass and the iron frame. The other significant replacement effort occurred during the Capitol’s 1987-1992 restoration.
Survey work in 2024 uncovered a label underneath a previously thought “original” tile reading “Pressed Prism Plate Glass Co. Morgantown, W. VA.”
It was discovered during the 2024 survey that the 1930s tiles were thinner than the original English tiles by 3/8”, so wood shims had been added to raise them to the correct level.
The 1931 fire led to the replacement of a majority of the glass floor tiles.
“Corridor of the Capitol Scorched…Burned in NightBlaze.” Lansing State Journal. January 19, 1931.
Factory of The Pressed Prism Plate Glass Company near Morgantown, West Virginia.
Image courtesy of WestVirginia & Regional History Cente
1990-1991 Restoration
During the first half of 1991, 46 of the glass floor tiles were replaced. The tiles that needed replacement were first traced on paper.Then a plywood board was cut to scale. The boards were then sent to the College of Creative Studies at the University of Michigan, where a team led by Albert Young cast new plate-glass tiles to match the majority of the existing tiles.We now know, though, that the majority of the tiles at that time were not original, but from the 1930s replacement.
This architectural plan crafted by Wigen, Tincknell, Meyer & Associates in 1990 details the 46 tiles to be replaced.
1991 photo of the glass studio at the College of Creative Arts where the glass floor tiles were produced.
The Christman Company managed the project to replace the glass floor tiles and repair the iron framework.
Tiles set to be replaced were traced on paper. This tracing was used to cut a plywood board to scale.