IN PHOTOS: Michigan Capitol's glass floor is almost completely restored

Michigan Capitol’s glass floor restoration nearly completeThe Michigan Capitol’s glass floor is nearly restored, wrapping up a project that began in early 2025 to replace tiles damaged by a fire nearly a century ago.

The project focused on bringing the floor back to its original appearance from the late 1800s, said Brian Page, web manager and Capitol registrar for the Michigan Capitol Commission.

“Because it's a fully restored national historic landmark, that means that everything we should do is to bring it back to its period of authenticity, of importance, which is the late 1800s,” Page said.

The Michigan Capitol Commission worked with Lucid Glass Studio, a company specializing in glass floors and stairs, to recreate the tiles.

The team sent the company a sample of an original tile to match its color, transparency and finish on both sides. Because the glass sits within an iron frame, the company also had to create a 3D scan of every tile space to ensure the replacements would fit.

1 of 8  — Glass Floor - Installation Test

Workers putting glass in the floor. The original glass floor was installed in the summer of 1878.

Dave Thompson / Michigan State Capitol Commission

2 of 8  — Above the floor.JPG

The glass floor of the capitol building from above. It was a unique project for Lucid Glass Studio.

Kendra Conely / WKAR

3 of 8  — Replacing The Rotunda Glass Floor - Phase One

A worker laying glass into the iron frame. Every tile was unique due to the equipment at the time. "The new tiles look a little crisp, a little more clean, but that's part of the project that we took into consideration, is that within several years, I'm sure these tiles will start to look a little more used like the originals do," Web Manager and Capitol Registrar Brian Page said.

Dave Thompson / Michigan State Capitol Commission

4 of 8  — Glass.JPG

The glass floor room of the capitol. Page said in 2023-2024 the Michigan State Capitol Commission restored the dome above the glass floor.

Kendra Conely / WKAR

5 of 8  — Glass Floor - Completed 9-23-2026

A top down view of the finished glass floor. The glass has been in the building for almost 150 years.

DAVE THOMPSON / Michigan State Capitol Commission

6 of 8  — Glass floor upclose.JPG

The glass floor of the capitol. "Most of the original tiles we have left from the 1870s are along the west side and the outer edges," Page said.

Kendra Conely / WKAR

7 of 8  — Flags in glass.JPG

Flags in a display case. "It's been here almost 150 years now, and there's been quite a few that were just you know randomly cracked and chipped here or there throughout the years," Page said.

Kendra

8 of 8  — Michigan Capitol.JPG

The south side of the Michigan Capitol. The first few months of restoration was trying to color match the tiles.

Kendra Conely / WKAR

The work addresses damage accumulated over nearly 150 years. Some tiles had cracked or chipped over time, while the floor itself sees hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.

“This floor sees hundreds of thousands, if not a million, feet each year,” Page said.

The original tiles have been placed in storage, but the commission expects to bring them back for exhibits and special events. Some have already been repurposed into glass discs for a limited-edition 2025 Capitol ornament.

Visitors can also learn more about the restoration through a new touchscreen kiosk inside the Capitol that showcases the process.

The commission’s next major projects will focus on cleaning the ceilings of the Michigan House and Senate chambers. Work on the House chamber is planned for summer 2027, followed by the Senate chamber in summer 2028.