Pennsylvania State Capitol facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pennsylvania State Capitol |
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Pennsylvania State Capitol in April 2022
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| General information | |
| Architectural style | Beaux-Arts, Renaissance Revival |
| Location | 3rd and State Streets Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Coordinates | 40°15′52″N 76°53′01″W / 40.26444°N 76.88361°W |
| Construction started | November 7, 1902 |
| Completed | August 15, 1906 |
| Inaugurated | October 4, 1906 |
| Cost | $13 million |
| Client | Commonwealth of Pennsylvania |
| Owner | Commonwealth of Pennsylvania |
| Height | 272 ft (83 m) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor area | 629,898 sq ft (58,519 m2) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Joseph Miller Huston |
| Official name | State Capitol Building, Pennsylvania |
| Designated | September 14, 1977 |
| Reference no. | 77001162 |
| Designated | September 20, 2006 |
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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| Designated | February 27, 2013 |
| Part of | Pennsylvania State Capitol Complex |
| Reference no. | 13000287 |
The Pennsylvania State Capitol is where the government of Pennsylvania works. It's in downtown Harrisburg. A famous architect named Joseph Miller Huston designed it in 1902, and it was finished in 1906. The building has a beautiful Beaux-Arts style.
Inside, you'll find the rooms where the state's lawmakers meet. This includes the House of Representatives and the Senate. It's also where the Supreme Court and Superior Court hold their sessions. Plus, the offices for the Governor and Lieutenant Governor are here. It's the main building of the Pennsylvania State Capitol Complex.
Pennsylvania's government first met in Philadelphia. Then, it moved to Lancaster in 1799. Finally, it settled in Harrisburg in 1812. The current capitol is the third state capitol building in Harrisburg. The first one, called the Hills Capitol, burned down in 1897. The second, the Cobb Capitol, was never fully finished.
President Theodore Roosevelt came to the building's opening ceremony in 1906. The capitol is often called a "palace of art." This is because it has many amazing sculptures, murals, and stained-glass windows. Most of these artworks are about Pennsylvania or made by Pennsylvanians. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. It became a National Historic Landmark in 2006.
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History of Pennsylvania's Capitol Buildings
William Penn started Pennsylvania's first government in 1682. The government didn't have a fixed meeting place at first. They often met in Quaker meeting houses or private homes in Philadelphia. Pennsylvania's first statehouse, now called Independence Hall, was built in Philadelphia. It was built between 1732 and 1753.
Many important meetings happened at Independence Hall. This included the state legislature and the First and Second Continental Congresses. Because of this, the state decided to move its government. John Harris Jr. offered land near the Susquehanna River in central Pennsylvania. He wanted it to be the site of the new capital. Harris also created a city in 1785 and named it after his father.
In 1799, lawmakers chose Lancaster as the new capital. They chose Lancaster because it had more people. From 1799 to 1812, the legislature met in Lancaster's Old City Hall.
The Hills Capitol (1822–1897)
In 1810, the legislature voted to move the capital again. In October 1812, the government moved to Harrisburg. They used the land John Harris Jr. had offered. They also bought more land from Senator William Maclay. For ten years, the legislature met in the old Dauphin County courthouse.
A competition was held in 1816 to design a new capitol. This was the first official contest for an American statehouse. Many designs were too expensive. A new contest started in 1819. Stephen Hills, an architect from Harrisburg, won. He designed a "red-brick, Federal-style" capitol. It was meant to show how a democratic government works.
Construction on the Hills Capitol began in 1819 and finished in 1822. It cost about $244,500 to build and furnish. Famous people visited the Hills Capitol. This included the Marquis de Lafayette in 1825. Prince Albert Edward (who later became King Edward VII) visited in 1860.
Abraham Lincoln visited the capitol in 1861 as president-elect. His body also lay there after his assassination in 1865. On February 2, 1897, smoke was seen from the Lieutenant Governor's offices. By evening, the Hills Capitol was destroyed by fire.
The Cobb Capitol (1899–1902)
After the fire, the lawmakers met in a nearby church. Some people wanted to move the capital to Pittsburgh or Philadelphia. But the legislature quickly approved money for a new capitol in Harrisburg. Governor Daniel H. Hastings wanted to pay for construction over several years. He thought $550,000 was enough for a small building that could be expanded later.
Henry Ives Cobb was chosen in 1897 to design the new capitol. Construction started on May 2, 1898. The legislature began meeting in the building on January 3, 1899. They considered it finished, even though it looked like an "unadorned, unfinished, several-story brown brick structure that looked like a factory." Cobb himself called it "ugly." He hoped to finish it when more money was available.
The Huston Capitol (1902–Present)
In 1901, Governor William A. Stone formed a new Capitol Building Commission. They held another design competition, but only for Pennsylvania architects. This meant Cobb could not finish his building. The commission also said parts of the unfinished Cobb Capitol should be used in the new design. Lawmakers set aside $4 million for construction. However, they did not limit the money for furnishing the building. This caused problems later.
The American Institute of Architects was against the competition. They felt it would lead to unfair choices. They told Pennsylvania architects not to enter. But Addison Hutton submitted a design and was removed from the organization. In January 1902, Joseph Miller Huston's design was chosen from nine entries.
Work on the Huston Capitol began on November 2, 1902. The first stone was laid on May 5, 1904. The state government officially took ownership of the capitol on August 15, 1906.
Governor Samuel W. Pennypacker opened the new capitol on October 4, 1906. President Theodore Roosevelt came for the dedication. He arrived by a special train to give a speech and tour the building. He called it "the handsomest building I ever saw." Many railroads ran special trains to bring crowds to Harrisburg for the event.
Most of the artwork in and around the capitol was not finished until much later. The murals in the rotunda were installed in 1908. The sculptures outside the entrance were dedicated in 1911. The decoration of the capitol was completed on May 23, 1927. This was when the murals in the Supreme Court Chambers were revealed.
Building the Capitol Complex
From 1912 to 1917, the state bought all the properties in the Eighth Ward. This area was east of the capitol, between it and some railroad tracks. Arnold Brunner was hired in 1916 to plan new buildings for the state government. The government had already outgrown the capitol.
Brunner presented his plan in 1920. It called for tearing down the Eighth Ward first. He planned two office buildings behind the capitol. These were the North and South Office Buildings. They were separated by a courtyard he called the People's Court. The South Office Building was finished in 1921. The Eighth Ward was completely leveled by 1925.
Brunner died in 1925, but parts of his plans were still completed. His People's Court became a parking lot. Brunner also planned a bridge to cross the railroad tracks. After his death, parts of the bridge were redesigned. It became the current State Street Bridge, finished in 1930. The Education Building, or Forum Building, was completed in 1931.
Restoring the Capitol
The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission put up two historical markers in 1953. One was for the Hills Capitol, and one for the current capitol. The capitol was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.
In 1981, architect Hyman Myers began overseeing the restoration of the building. The Capitol Preservation Committee (CPC) was created in 1982. Its job was to protect and preserve the State Capitol Building. One of their first projects was to save 390 Civil War flags. They also saved 22 flags from the Spanish–American War. These flags had been in the rotunda since 1914.
From 1985 to 1987, the murals in the rotunda were removed for restoration. The statue on top of the capitol dome was removed by helicopter in 1998 for restoration. It was returned in September of the same year. The Senate Chamber was restored after it flooded in 1999. The capitol was named a National Historic Landmark in 2006 during its 100th anniversary. In 2013, the landmark area was expanded to include the surrounding grounds and buildings.
Outside the Capitol
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The capitol is 520 feet (158 m) long and 272 feet (83 m) tall. It is 254 feet (77 m) wide at its center. The two side wings are 212 feet (65 m) wide. The outside of the capitol is made of granite from Hardwick, Vermont.
The 94-foot (29 m) wide dome has a gilded brass statue on top. This statue is called Commonwealth by Roland Hinton Perry. It stands 14 feet 6 inches (4.42 m) tall on a 4-foot (1.2 m) wide ball. The statue represents the state of Pennsylvania. The dome has bright green Ludowici tiles. It weighs 26,000 short tons (24,000 t). Its design was inspired by St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City.
Huston designed the large bronze doors at the main entrance. Sculptor Otto Jahnsen created them. They were cast in one piece using the lost wax method. The doors show scenes from Pennsylvania's history. These include William Penn's arrival and his peace treaty with the Lenape. Small statues (busts) of people important to the capitol's construction decorate the doors. These include Governor Pennypacker and Boies Penrose. A bust of Huston hides the doors' keyhole.
Two sculptures flank the entrance. They are called Love and Labor: The Unbroken Law and The Burden of Life: The Broken Law. George Grey Barnard sculpted them from Carrara marble in 1909.
Capitol Grounds
The Pennsylvania Capitol Grounds, also called Capitol Park, covers 45 acres (18 ha). The grounds are bordered by North Street, 7th Street, Walnut Street, and 3rd Street. Arnold Brunner designed the layout of the grounds. Originally, the grounds were only 15 acres (6.1 ha). The other 29 acres (12 ha) were added when the state bought the Eighth Ward.
A 64-foot (20 m) tall monument honors Pennsylvanians who died in the Mexican–American War. It was built in 1858. The monument was placed on the grounds in 1868. It was moved in 1893 when the Executive, Library, and Museum Building was built. A monument to former governor John F. Hartranft was sculpted by Frederick Ruckstull in 1896–97. This 26-foot (7.9 m) tall monument was unveiled in 1899. It was moved in 1927.
Inside the Capitol
The Pennsylvania State Capitol has rooms for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, the Pennsylvania Senate, and the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. The Capitol has 475 rooms and four floors. There is also a mezzanine between the first and second floors, and a basement.
The bronze entrance doors lead into the rotunda on the first floor. A grand staircase is in the center. This staircase is like the one in the Palais Garnier in Paris, France. It leads to the mezzanine, then splits into two staircases to the second floor.
Edwin Austin Abbey painted four round murals around the base of the dome. These show "four forces of civilization": Art, Justice, Science, and Religion. Abbey also painted four half-moon shaped murals (lunettes). These "symbolize Pennsylvania's spiritual and industrial contributions." The lunettes are in the arches of the rotunda.
The rotunda floor has tiles made by Henry Chapman Mercer. He created 16,000 square feet (1,500 m²) of tile. This includes 377 mosaics showing 254 scenes from Pennsylvania history. These scenes feature animals, birds, fish, insects, industries, and workers. A quote from William Penn is written inside the rotunda and dome:
There may be room there for such a holy experiment. For the nations want a precedent. And my God will make it the seed of a nation. That an example may be set up to the nations. That we may do the thing that is truly wise and just.
House Chamber
The House of Representatives has 203 members. They are elected for two-year terms. The Speaker of the House leads them. The House Chamber is the largest of the three main rooms. It is 90 feet (27 m) wide and 120 feet (37 m) long. It is on the south side of the rotunda.
The House Chamber has an Italian Renaissance design. William B. Van Ingen created the fourteen round, stained-glass windows. Abbey painted its five murals. The biggest mural is behind the Speaker's rostrum. It is called the Apotheosis of Pennsylvania. It shows 28 famous Pennsylvanians.
Senate Chamber
The Senate is the upper house of the state legislature. It has 50 members, elected for four-year terms. The President of the Senate, who is also the Lieutenant Governor, leads them. The Senate Chamber is 95 by 80 feet (29 by 24 m). It is the second-largest chamber. It has a French Renaissance design. It is on the north side of the rotunda, across from the House.
Violet Oakley painted the murals in the Senate Chamber. Ingen also made 10 stained-glass windows for this room. Both the House and Senate Chambers are on the second floor. They each have entrances on the upper third and fourth floors. These lead to a press and media gallery.
The only green marble ever found in Ireland is in Connemara, Galway. This marble is over 500 million years old. Earthquakes created the lines in the marble. The Streamstown Marble quarry in Clifden, Galway, is the oldest Connemara marble quarry. It opened in 1822.
In 1895, Robert C Fisher, a marble merchant from New York, brought a lot of this marble to the United States. It decorates many buildings, especially churches. The most famous examples in America are in the Senate Chamber and Senate Post Office of the State Capitol Building in Harrisburg.
A rare type of Connemara marble, called Irish Jade, is found in the Galway quarry. All the walls and door frames of the Senate Chamber in Harrisburg are made of this Irish Jade marble. It was installed in 1901. It is considered the best example of Connemara marble in any public building worldwide.
Supreme Court Chamber
The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is the highest court in the state. The Superior Court of Pennsylvania is one of two intermediate appellate courts. Both courts use the Supreme Court Chamber. It was designed using ancient Greek and Roman themes. It is on the fourth floor of the capitol, on the east side of the rotunda. The Supreme Court Chamber is the smallest of the three main rooms. It is 42 by 72 feet (13 by 22 m).
Violet Oakley painted 16 murals in the Supreme Courtroom. They show the history of law. These 16 panels were painted between 1917 and 1927. The series begins and ends with Divine Law over the main entrance. Around the room, the murals show the Law of Nature; Greek, Hebrew, and Christian Revealed Law; Roman Law of Reason; English Common Law; William Penn as Law-Giver; State, National, and International law. Finally, it ends with the Spirit of Divine Law. A stained-glass dome, designed by Alfred Godwin, is in the center of the ceiling.
Pennsylvania State Capitol Complex
The Pennsylvania State Capitol Complex includes buildings owned by the state. These buildings are managed by the Pennsylvania Department of General Services. They are all centered around the capitol in Harrisburg. The Capitol Complex became a National Historic Landmark in 2013. This designation included the surrounding buildings, except for the East Wing. The complex is protected by the Pennsylvania Capitol Police. The Harrisburg Bureau of Police also patrols the area.
The oldest building in the complex is the Executive, Library, and Museum Building. It was built in 1894. It was renamed the Matthew J. Ryan Legislative Office Building in 1999. This was to honor former Speaker Matthew J. Ryan. This building first held the State Library and State Museum of Pennsylvania. It also had the Governor's Office. Today, it holds offices for members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
The North and South Office Buildings are seven stories tall. They are behind the capitol and overlook the East Wing. The South Office Building was renamed the K. Leroy Irvis Office Building in 2002. This honored former Speaker K. Leroy Irvis. The State Museum and State Archives buildings were built in 1964.
A large addition, called the East Wing, was opened in 1987. It is 640 by 320 feet (195 by 98 m). The East Wing replaced a parking lot. It also completed Brunner's idea of a People's Court. It was built partly underground. Its tallest point barely reaches the first floor of the capitol.
Images for kids
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Pennsylvania State Capitol in April 2022
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The Hills Capitol (1822–1897)
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The Cobb Capitol (1899–1902)
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The capitol building, photographed by William H. Rau shortly after its dedication
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Stereo card of President Roosevelt at the 1906 dedication of the Huston Capitol
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Skyline of Harrisburg from the Susquehanna River, with the capitol dome in the center
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The lantern of the dome, topped with the statue Commonwealth by Roland Hinton Perry, 1905
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Bust of Joseph Miller Huston over the Capitol's keyhole
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John F. Hartranft monument
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The Capitol in Fall
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The interior of the capitol rotunda. Two medallions and three lunettes are visible, from left to right: Spirit of Light, Law, Science Revealing the Treasures of the Earth, Religion and Spirit of Vulcan. Portions of William Penn's quote are also visible.
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The Chamber of the House of Representatives from the gallery. The painting Apotheosis of Pennsylvania is visible on the far wall of the chamber.
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Divine Law mural by Violet Oakley in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court's chamber
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The East Wing of the Pennsylvania Capitol (1987), with the 1906 Capitol behind, the Irvis Office Building on the left, and the North Office Building on the right, as seen in September 2010
See also
In Spanish: Capitolio del Estado de Pensilvania para niños
- List of National Historic Landmarks in Pennsylvania
- List of state and territorial capitols in the United States
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania
- List of state and county courthouses in Pennsylvania
- List of tallest domes
- Government of Pennsylvania
