A carefully planned combination of skylights and chandeliers illuminate the Upper Chamber and highlight the magnificent stonework, marble columns and rich walnut furnishings that grace the center of Senate activity.
Crowning the rich fabric ceiling 50 feet above the center of the room is an ocular window (top right) made up of 20 glass panes.
The panes are molded in brass and form a circle surrounded by designs of Missouri's state floral emblem, the hawthorn blossom. The glass panels are framed in brass to complement the central panels.
From the chamber and galleries, the glass panels appear to be light blue in color. The panels are actually a neutral color and derive their distinctive blue shade from an exterior skylight made of small glass blocks. These once-clear blocks have changed color due to oxidization from the continued effect of sunlight on them over most of the past century.
From the skylight hang four majestic chandeliers (middle photo, right) whose illumination blends with the natural light that filters into the room, shifting highlights as the sun travels across the sky. The chandeliers are cast of bronze and are hand-finished.
The north and south walls feature vertical skylights (bottom left) that accent the main lighting of the chamber. Each skylight is crested with a magnificent rendition of the state seal, complete with gilded crown, shield and grizzly bears that are unique to the emblem of the State of Missouri.
