Pennsylvania State Capitol

Infobox_nrhp | name =Pennsylvania State Capitol Building
nrhp_type = nhl


caption = East Plaza of the Pennsylvania State Capitol
location= Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
lat_degrees = 40
lat_minutes = 15
lat_seconds = 52
lat_direction = N
long_degrees = 76
long_minutes = 53
long_seconds = 2
long_direction = W
locmapin = Pennsylvania
area =
built =1902
architect= Joseph M. Huston
architecture= Renaissance, Other
added = September 14, 1977
governing_body = State
refnum=77001162cite web|url=http://www.nr.nps.gov/|title=National Register Information System|date=2007-01-23|work=National Register of Historic Places|publisher=National Park Service] The State Capitol of Pennsylvania, located in downtown Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, is the seat of government of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It was designed in the Beaux-Arts style, with strong Italian Renaissance overtones, by architect Joseph M. Huston, whose design won over five other entries in a well-publicized architectural competition. The Capitol houses the Pennsylvania General Assembly and chambers for the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania (which also has chambers in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia), as well as the offices of the Governor, Lieutenant Governor and other state officials.

History

Since its construction in 1906, the Capitol has remained a "palace of art" as envisioned by its creator, architect Joseph M. Huston. Over the years, however, the Capitol has seen many changes and improvements, along with the normal wear and tear from its thousands of annual visitors. In 1982, the state Legislature created a committee to oversee restoration and preserve the historic integrity of the building along with its historic contents. Since then, the Capitol Preservation Committee has restored and preserved many areas and artifacts within the building, and continues ongoing efforts so that future generations can enjoy the splendor of the Capitol. On October 4, 1906 Governor Samuel W. Pennypacker dedicated the new State Capitol Building and President Theodore Roosevelt was the orator of the day. Following a tour of the new building, Roosevelt complimented the governor on this monumental project. A crowd of more than 50,000 people came on special Pennsylvania Railroad excursion trains to Harrisburg to hear President Roosevelt dedicate the building. His actual words differ according to different newspaper accounts: "The Harrisburg Star Independent" (October 5, 1906) claimed Roosevelt declared it to be the "most handsome state Capitol I have ever seen and I don't believe that there is a finer on earth," while the "Harrisburg Patriot News" (same date) reported that he simply claimed it to be "the handsomest building I ever saw." The Capitol was built and furnished at a cost of $13 million. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977 [cite web| url=http://www.archiplanet.org/wiki/State_Capitol_Building| year=2007| title=About the State Capitol Building|first=| last=| publisher=Archiplanet.org/| accessdate=2007-01-19] and was declared a National Historic Landmark in 2006.cite web| url=http://cpc.state.pa.us/main/cpcweb/| year=2006| title=Capitol Preservation Committee, Press Releases|first=| last=| publisher=Pennsylvania Capitol Preservation Committee| accessdate=2007-01-19]

Description

The state Capitol was architecturally inspired by St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, and many consider it the pinnacle of the Commonwealth as the finest state capitol building in the United States. The brilliantly restored rotunda and Senate and House of Representatives Chambers are particularly exquisite spaces adorned with marble, murals, gold leaf and stained glass.

In Huston's original concept of the Capitol, he strove to unite architecture, sculpture and painting into an interpretation of Pennsylvania's rich southeast. The building can be seen from I-83, though the high-rise office buildings of downtown have blocked much of the view east of the Susquehanna River.

ee also

*List of Governors of Pennsylvania

References

* [http://cpc.state.pa.us/main/cpcweb/centennial.html Celebration of a Century - Centennial Celebration of the Pennsylvania State Capitol] (2005). "cpc.state.pa.us". December 29, 2005.
* [http://cpc.state.pa.us/main/cpcweb/history/index.html History of the Pennsylvania Capitol]

External links

* [http://cpc.state.pa.us/ Capitol Preservation Committee (Pennsylvania)]
* [http://www.pacapitol.com/ Pennsylvania Capitol - information and tours]
* [http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/toursWelcome.cfm Pennsylvania State Capitol tours]
* [http://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/VC/visitor_info/brown/capitol.pdf]