When the original State House was completed in 1842, the Central Staircase consisted of straight flights with a landing halfway up. It is likely they resembled the one presently in the Old State House's West Wing. Large windows on the landings provided interior lighting for the stairwell, which at that time had no skylight. This lighting was ultimately blocked when permanent, two-story masonry structures were built between the wings in 1885. At that time the old staircases were replaced by spiral ones, which were not only more elegant, but were less steep because they contained more steps. Behind the rounded walls built to accommodate the new staircases, the old landing windows were preserved. These served as a model of the original faux graining in the State House and aided in the restoration of the 1836 House of Representatives. The skylight and the opening in the floor of the second floor landing were both also added in 1885.
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