City Hall Dome’s Surface Remains A Work In Progress

City Hall Dome’s Surface Remains A Work In Progress
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OCEAN CITY — Despite its current gray and black appearance, the iconic City Hall dome in Ocean City is merely transitioning to its former rich, reddish copper glory and is currently going through its awkward “teenage” years.

Concerns have been raised recently by some in the community about the condition of the City Hall dome, which is currently a dull gray with darker, almost black, colors streaking through. It certainly isn’t aesthetically pleasing, particularly because the building is the seat of municipal government, but like a teenager transitioning from a cute child to an attractive adult, it is expected to eventually blossom into its future self, according to City Engineer Terry McGean.

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The City Hall dome is pictured in a dated photo from the town’s website.

For years, the City Hall dome was a dark green color and pictures of the facility on the town’s website still show the dome in its familiar green hue. However, several years ago a decision was made to cover the iconic dome

in its original leaded copper and its current condition is just a phase in the long aging process that will eventually return it to a rich, reddish-brown copper color familiar several decades ago, McGean said.

“It has not been green since we replaced the entire dome skin back in 2006,” he said this week. “We replaced it with the original material, which was lead-coated copper. The material starts out as a silver gray, and then ultimately weathers to a reddish brown patina.”

That process takes time and depends largely on weather and other atmospheric conditions. In the meantime, residents and visitors will have to be patient and let the process run its course with the end result being worth the wait.

“Ultimately, it will be a consistent reddish brown,” said McGean. “If you look at some of the older color prints of City Hall, you will see the dome depicted in that same reddish brown color.”

McGean provided a description of the aging process for architectural metal that includes a lot of technical information about the chemical processes at work, but a final section best describes in layman’s terms how the process will likely play out.

“In closing, I know a woman who equates an architectural metal roof to a daughter,” the descriptive document reads. “Your 11-year-old daughter (new copper) is lovely, beautiful and full of life. Likewise, as a young woman in her 20s (copper with a mature patina), she is also lovely and beautiful. However, during her teenage years you often wonder what happened to her beauty and grace. If, as with your daughter, you are patient and give your roof time, then you almost always will be pleased with the end product.”

McGean said the description fairly characterized the current condition of the City Hall dome.

“We are in the teenage years,” he said.

About The Author: Shawn Soper

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Shawn Soper has been with The Dispatch since 2000. He began as a staff writer covering various local government beats and general stories. His current positions include managing editor and sports editor. Growing up in Baltimore before moving to Ocean City full time three decades ago, Soper graduated from Loch Raven High School in 1981 and from Towson University in 1985 with degrees in mass communications with a journalism concentration and history.