Unique Butte, Montana stained glass courthouse dome needs restoration

A unique stained-glass dome capping the rotunda at the Butte-Silver Bow County courthouse in Butte, Montana is in danger of being lost without a restoration. The glass pieces are no longer really connected, just resting against each other held together by gravity. And, over time, the pieces have morphed from convex to concave.
July 8, 2013

A unique stained-glass dome capping the rotunda at the Butte-Silver Bow County courthouse in Butte, Montana is in danger of being lost without a restoration. The glass pieces are no longer really connected, just resting against each other held together by gravity. And, over time, the pieces have morphed from convex to concave.

A lot of the dome’s problems, says Jules Mominee, the owner of Mominee Studios of Evansville, Ind., came about with time and by a “fairly ad-hoc installation initially.” The “mishmash” resulted in a less-than-uniform construction, says Mominee, who is evaluating the structure for a restoration.

(http://mtstandard.com/news/local/saving-the-courthouse-dome-experts-assess-possibilities/article_78c6b6de-e06b-11e2-87ff-0019bb2963f4.html)

About the Author

Drew Ballensky

Drew Ballensky is general manager of Duro-Last Roofing, Inc.’s central U.S. facility in Iowa and company spokesman for Duro-Last’s cool roofing, sustainability and architectural education programs. He is past-president of the Chemical Fabrics and Film Association and chairman of CFFA’s Vinyl Roofing Division. Drew earned his bachelor’s degree in industrial technology from the University of Northern Iowa and master’s degree in business administration from Florida State University. Drew has over 29 years experience in business and industry in various engineering and managerial capacities. He has worked in the U.S. and Canadian operations for a major international manufacturer of pre-engineered steel buildings, was a financial analyst with a major athletic apparel manufacturer and was an owner of a general contracting company.
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