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Questions include the following:
Years for renovation to be completed: 3 full years
Cost of the renovation: Whole project cost was $63 million, Construction cost was $48 million
The State House was never completely finished until this renovation.
The Stars were not changed during the renovation. They are on the west end of the building. When Sherman marched through South Carolina, he shelled the city from the Lexington side of the river, using that side of the State House as his target. The granite was chipped, and the stars were placed there afterwards.
The Charleston earthquake was felt in Columbia, and some minor cracking to the foundation of the State House did occur.
The original granite came from quarries in Columbia. When the porticos were built, the granite for those came from Winnsboro because the Columbia quarries had closed.
Confederate cannon balls, which had been on display, were found during the renovation. One fragment of a cannon ball is housed in the Confederate Relic Room.
Construction of the State House began in 1855 and proceeded through 1865, when the Burning of Columbia took place. Construction started again at the end of Reconstruction, in the 1880s until 1905, but the work progressed very slowly.
Seismic isolators were added to protect against damage from earthquakes.
The archway is discussed. It originally had a well that pre-existed the State House. A nurseryman had rented the land prior to the State House being built there. In the hole, horse bones and teeth, along with ceramics and glass, were found. So the horse had been buried there, and then the hole was filled in with dirt, ceramic and glass.
The building should survive an earthquake with a force of 7 or 8 on the richter scale.
The discussion continues.
