Georgia State Capitol Museum
Georgia State Capitol Museum
Atlanta, GA
A museum has occupied the Georgia State Capitol since it was first completed in 1889.
Through the years this museum has grown and evolved from a geological exhibit to a collection encompassing Georgia’s natural and industrial resources. The restoration of the Capitol included the refinement of the focus of this museum and the development of an interpretive master plan. Lord Aeck Sargent worked with the museum staff and numerous consultants including interpretive planners, historians and conservators to develop the new vision for the Georgia Capitol Museum.
Work to implement the interpretive master plans for the State Museum included the placement of historic portraits, plaques and busts; restoration of historic display cases; and implementation of new displays of the state government’s history with interpretive consideration of the historic flag collection.
The design team faced a significant challenge to incorporate the museum collections within the historic spaces of the Capitol. A rotation plan for the collections was developed to address both the space limitations and the environmental conditions in the building which was not originally designed to be a museum. Fiber optic lighting, ultraviolet filtering glass and humidity control at the cases were also used to protect the collections while minimizing impact on the building.
