On our Harrisburg/Hershey trip, we decided to see the state's Capitol building, widely regarded as one of the finest and most ornate state capitols in America.
It certainly looks impressive from the outside. The dome was inspired by Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome. Joseph Huston designed the structure based on Italian Renaissance architecture. The building does have the grandeur of an important civic building.
The front doors a flanked by statues from Pennsylvanian George Grey Bernard, again giving an old-world look to the building.
The building was dedicated in 1906. President Theodore Roosevelt made an address proclaiming it the grandest building he had ever seen. The Capitol is sometimes called the "Palace of Art" because of the substantial amount of sculptures, mosaics, murals, and paintings found throughout the building.
Under the dome is a fabulous staircase in the style of the Paris Opera House with murals about Pennsylvania and medallions showing Art, Law, Religion, and Science.
The floor under the dome is made of Moravian tiles and depicts various scenes and images associated with Pennsylvania. The German Folk Art design by Henry Chapman Mercer shows animals, transportation, industries, and occupations.
We took the free tour (which we highly recommend). Our first stop was the Senate chamber.
The lieutenant governor presides as head of the Senate. His desk is flanked by murals of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. No pressure there!
Forty-three of the murals, including the one above the lieutenant governor, were painted by Violet Oakley in the early 1900s. She was one of the first women to make a name for herself painting in large formats like murals. She has both impressive skills and an impressive output.
The Supreme Court chamber has several murals with legal themes.
The mural above spells out the words Love, Law, and Wisdom, if you can find the letters weaved into the images. Below, William Penn is inspired by his English legal predecessors, including Saint Thomas More to the left of the seated Penn.
The House Chamber is also a grand affair, though it has more members than the Senate, and thus more seats on the floor. The guide told us that even though they have electronic voting capabilities, often the house members vote by voice anyway.
After the tour, we went to the Welcome Center, which has lots of interactive exhibits for the children. On the way, we discovered a Rube Goldberg device that's meant to imitate (or possibly mock) the complicated system by which laws are made.
The children enjoyed participating in democracy through video programs of all sorts.
They even have a model of the Capitol complex, which takes up about 45 acres of actual land.
A Lego sculpture recreates Roland Hinton Perry's "Commonwealth," the statue on top of the Capitol's dome.
The building is well worth visiting, even if you aren't a citizen of Pennsylvania. It's impressive and has a lot of fun details.
It certainly looks impressive from the outside. The dome was inspired by Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome. Joseph Huston designed the structure based on Italian Renaissance architecture. The building does have the grandeur of an important civic building.
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| Steps leading up to the Capitol |
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| View to the river from the Capitol |
The front doors a flanked by statues from Pennsylvanian George Grey Bernard, again giving an old-world look to the building.
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| "The Burden of Life/The Broken Law" |
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| "Labor and Love/The Unbroken Law" |
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| The "back door" of the building |
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| View from the back door |
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| A bit of whimsical decoration |
The building was dedicated in 1906. President Theodore Roosevelt made an address proclaiming it the grandest building he had ever seen. The Capitol is sometimes called the "Palace of Art" because of the substantial amount of sculptures, mosaics, murals, and paintings found throughout the building.
Under the dome is a fabulous staircase in the style of the Paris Opera House with murals about Pennsylvania and medallions showing Art, Law, Religion, and Science.
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| The staircase |
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| Inside the dome |
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| Medallions of Law and Religion with the mural "Science Revealing the Treasures of the Earth" |
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| Medallions of Science and Art with the mural "Spirit of Religious Liberty" |
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| Close up of Religion |
The floor under the dome is made of Moravian tiles and depicts various scenes and images associated with Pennsylvania. The German Folk Art design by Henry Chapman Mercer shows animals, transportation, industries, and occupations.
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| A logger |
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| Where the president stood |
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| A display of design elements |
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| A fine statesman |
We took the free tour (which we highly recommend). Our first stop was the Senate chamber.
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| Entrance to the Senate gallery |
The lieutenant governor presides as head of the Senate. His desk is flanked by murals of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. No pressure there!
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| Where the Lieutenant Governor sits |
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| Amazing chandeliers |
Forty-three of the murals, including the one above the lieutenant governor, were painted by Violet Oakley in the early 1900s. She was one of the first women to make a name for herself painting in large formats like murals. She has both impressive skills and an impressive output.
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| Left side of the mural |
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| Center of the mural |
The Supreme Court chamber has several murals with legal themes.
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| The Supreme Court |
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| "Spirit of William Blackstone" |
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| "Divine Law-The Keynote" |
The mural above spells out the words Love, Law, and Wisdom, if you can find the letters weaved into the images. Below, William Penn is inspired by his English legal predecessors, including Saint Thomas More to the left of the seated Penn.
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| "Penn the Lawgiver" |
The House Chamber is also a grand affair, though it has more members than the Senate, and thus more seats on the floor. The guide told us that even though they have electronic voting capabilities, often the house members vote by voice anyway.
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| House Chamber |
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| Stained glass windows in the House |
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| "Study" |
After the tour, we went to the Welcome Center, which has lots of interactive exhibits for the children. On the way, we discovered a Rube Goldberg device that's meant to imitate (or possibly mock) the complicated system by which laws are made.
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| Making laws is as easy as getting a ball to fall down |
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| Old timey ship welcomes visitors |
The children enjoyed participating in democracy through video programs of all sorts.
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| Voting on whether to extend the school year--I heard a lot of Nays! |
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| Legislators testifying to what their days are like |
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| Pennsylvania trivia wall |
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| Video game played with feet! |
They even have a model of the Capitol complex, which takes up about 45 acres of actual land.
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| The Capitol |
A Lego sculpture recreates Roland Hinton Perry's "Commonwealth," the statue on top of the Capitol's dome.
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| Lego Commonwealth |
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| The statue |
The building is well worth visiting, even if you aren't a citizen of Pennsylvania. It's impressive and has a lot of fun details.
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