| Pennsylvania State Capitol | |
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.jpg) East side of Pennsylvania State Capitol in 2020 | |
 Interactive map of the Pennsylvania State Capitol area | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Beaux-Arts,Renaissance Revival |
| Location | 3rd and State Streets Harrisburg, Pennsylvania United States |
| Coordinates | 40°15′52″N76°53′01″W / 40.26444°N 76.88361°W /40.26444; -76.88361 |
| Construction started | November 7, 1902; 123 years ago (1902-11-07) |
| Completed | August 15, 1906; 119 years ago (1906-08-15) |
| Inaugurated | October 4, 1906; 119 years ago (October 4, 1906) |
| Cost | US$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)[1] |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Joseph Miller Huston |
| Official name | State Capitol Building, Pennsylvania |
| Designated | September 14, 1977 |
| Reference no. | 77001162[2] |
| Designated | September 20, 2006 |
| Designated | February 27, 2013 |
| Part of | Pennsylvania State Capitol Complex |
| Reference no. | 13000287[3] |
ThePennsylvania State Capitol is theseat of government for the U.S. state ofPennsylvania located indowntown Harrisburg. The building was designed by architectJoseph Miller Huston in 1902 and completed in 1906 in aBeaux-Arts style with decorativeRenaissance themes throughout. The capitol houses the legislative chambers for thePennsylvania General Assembly, made up of theHouse of Representatives and theSenate, and the Harrisburg chambers for theSupreme andSuperior Courts of Pennsylvania, as well as the offices of theGovernor and theLieutenant Governor. It is also the main building of thePennsylvania State Capitol Complex.
The seat of government for the state was initially inPhiladelphia, then was relocated toLancaster in 1799 and finally to Harrisburg in 1812. The current capitol, known as the Huston Capitol, is the third state capitol building built in Harrisburg. The first, the Hills Capitol, was destroyed in 1897 by a fire. The second, the Cobb Capitol, was left unfinished when funding was discontinued in 1899.
PresidentTheodore Roosevelt attended the building's dedication in 1906. After its completion, the capitol project was the subject of agraft scandal. The construction and subsequent furnishing cost three times more than the General Assembly had appropriated for the design and construction; architect Joseph Huston and four others were convicted of graft for price gouging.
The Pennsylvania State Capitol is often referred to as a "palace of art" because of its manysculptures,murals, andstained-glass windows, most of which are Pennsylvania-themed or Pennsylvanian-made.[4] The building was listed on theNational Register of Historic Places in 1977 and designated aNational Historic Landmark in 2006; the boundaries of the designation were expanded to include the Capitol Complex in 2013 with the capitol as acontributing property.
William Penn formed the first government of the what was then theProvince of Pennsylvania, inBritish America, on October 28, 1682, inChester, Pennsylvania.[5] The government did not have a regular meeting place and often met inQuaker meeting houses or at private residences inPhiladelphia.Andrew Hamilton andWilliam Allen were authorized toacquire land in Philadelphia for the Pennsylvania State House, which is now known asIndependence Hall, the first statehouse. Construction on it began in 1732 and was completed in 1753.[6]
With both the Pennsylvania General Assembly and theFirst andSecond Continental Congresses, and theConfederation Congress, three predecessors of the modernCongress of the United States occupying Independence Hall from 1774 to 1789, the state legislature considered proposals for moving the seat of the state government.John Harris Jr. offered to give 4 acres (2 ha) and 21 square perches (5,717 ft2; 531 m2) of land near the banks of theSusquehanna River in central Pennsylvania to the state, provided that it be eventually used as the site of the capital.[4][7] Harris also laid out a city in 1785, near his plot of land, and named it in honor ofhis father.
In 1799, the legislature voted to relocate the capital toLancaster instead of Harrisburg, because of Lancaster's greater population.[4][8] From 1799 to 1812, the legislature resided in Lancaster at theOld City Hall.[9]
The legislature voted in 1810 to relocate the capital again and moved the seat of government to Harrisburg in October 1812 onto the land originally given by Harris a decade earlier.[10] An additional 10 acres (4 ha) was also purchased fromUnited States SenatorWilliam Maclay.[11] The legislature met in the oldDauphin County courthouse for the next decade until a new capitol was constructed.[12] A competition was held to determine the design of the capitol starting in 1816, which "was the first formal contest for [designing] an American statehouse."[13] The designs submitted, including one fromWilliam Strickland, were rejected as being too expensive. Another contest was started in January 1819. Of the seventeen designs submitted, two were selected as semifinalists. One was fromHarrisburg architectStephen Hills, and the other was from the designer of theWashington Monument,Robert Mills; Hills' design was selected.[14] Hills had designed a "red-brick,Federal-style" capitol to "architecturally represent the function of democratic government."[4]
Construction began on the Hills Capitol in 1819, and it was completed in 1822. The capitol's construction and subsequent furnishing were estimated to have cost$244,500.[15] The Hills Capitol was visited by prominent people of the19th century, including the French nobleman andRevolutionary War general, theMarquis de Lafayette in 1825 and the then-Prince of Wales Albert Edward (later KingEdward VII) in 1860.[16]Abraham Lincoln visited the capitol in February 1861 aspresident-elect while traveling fromIllinois tohis inauguration inWashington, D.C., and then tolay in state in April 1865 during the trip back to Illinois for burial after his assassination.[17] Pennsylvania's collection ofCivil War battle flags, which were accumulated in 1866, was moved from the nearby State Arsenal to the second floor of the capitol in 1872.[18] The flags were moved, again, in 1895 to the Executive, Library, and Museum Building.[19] On February 2, 1897, smoke was discovered from the Lieutenant Governor's offices around noon. By early evening, the Hills Capitol had been reduced to a "smoldering mass of debris".[20]
After the destruction of the Hills Capitol, the now "homeless" legislature moved to a nearbyMethodist Church.[21] There were soon demands that the capital be relocated toPittsburgh or Philadelphia; the legislature quickly appropriated money to build a new capitol in Harrisburg.[22][23] GovernorDaniel H. Hastings opted for apay-as-you-go policy to allow the construction costs to be spread over multiple annual budgets. Governor Hastings also figured that $550,000 was enough to build "a small legislative building" that could be added onto as needed over time.[24] After building designs were submitted by various architects in another competition,Henry Ives Cobb was chosen in 1897 to design the new capitol. Construction of the Cobb Capitol began on May 2, 1898. The legislature met in the finished building, which they had deemed complete, even though it was an "unadorned, unfinished, several-story brown brick structure that looked like a factory" on January 3, 1899.[22] Cobb himself described the building simply as "ugly" but believed that he would be able to finish it eventually when more funding became available.[22][25]
GovernorWilliam A. Stone appointed a new Capitol Building Commission in 1901. The commission then held another design competition for Pennsylvania architects only, which prevented Cobb, aChicagoan, from submitting a design or finishing his capitol.[26] The Building Commission also stipulated that parts of the unfinished, current capitol were to be used in the new capitol. The General Assembly had appropriated $4 million for the construction of the capitol. It did not limit the total amount to be used in furnishing the building. This caused problems after the construction completion of the capitol.[26] TheAmerican Institute of Architects was opposed to competition, citing that the terms of the competition were "calculated to only 'encourage favoritism and injustice' and that they in no way obligated the Capitol [Building] Commission to select the best design or the best architect."[27] The Institute also advised that no Pennsylvania architects enter the competition; Philadelphia architectAddison Hutton was subsequently expelled from the organization after submitting an entry.[27] Joseph Miller Huston's design was chosen from nine entries in the competition in January 1902.
The ground was broken for the Huston Capitol on November 2, 1902, but the cornerstone was not laid until May 5, 1904.[28] Ownership of the capitol was handed over to the state government on August 15, 1906, and the Capitol Building Commission was dissolved.[29]
GovernorSamuel W. Pennypacker dedicated the new capitol on October 4, 1906. Former Governor Stone, who had become president of the Building Commission after leaving office, ceremoniously gave the key to the capitol to Governor Pennypacker. PresidentTheodore Roosevelt, who had arrived earlier that morning by a special train to deliver a speech and tour the new capitol, declared it "the handsomest building I ever saw."[30] ThePennsylvania,Northern Central,Reading, andCumberland Valley railroads each ran special trains to accommodate the crowds traveling to and from Harrisburg for the dedication.[31]
Although the building was completed, most of the artwork in and around the capitol would not be completed for another two decades. The murals in the rotunda were not installed until 1908, and the sculptures outside the entrance to the capitol were dedicated on October 4, 1911.[32] The collection of Civil War flags were removed from the Executive, Library, and Museum Building. After a parade and a ceremony, they were installed in glass display cases in the capitol rotunda on June 14, 1914.[33] The decoration of the capitol was completed on May 23, 1927, when the murals in the Supreme Court Chambers were unveiled.[34]
William H. Berry was elected in 1906, shortly after the dedication, to the office ofState Treasurer on a reform "fusion ticket". Berry was the onlyDemocrat elected to a statewide office from 1895 to 1934. Governor Pennypacker deemed his successful campaign to be "one of those freaks of ill fortune".[35] Berry began investigating the costs of the capitol project and brought its $13 million pricetag to the attention of the public. Part of the reason for the discrepancy was Pennsylvania's "over-elaborate" and sometimes "unintelligible" method of "ordering and purchasing supplies, equipment [and] furnishings, commonly called the 'per-foot rule' ."[36] Because the methods of measuring under the "per-foot rule" were not rigorously enforced, furnishing could be intentionally overpriced by the supplier. For example, aflagpole installed on the capitol roof was priced at $850; Berry estimated the value of the pole to have been only $150.[37] Other expenses included $1,619 for a $125bootblack stand and $3,257 for a $325 "mahogany case in the Senate barber shop".[38]
Pennypacker tried to demonstrate that costs associated with the capitol were reasonable in comparison with similar notable structures. He pointed out that theUnited States Capitol cost $18 million, but had "fifty-five less [rooms] than the Capitol at Harrisburg."[39] Pennypacker also showed how theNew York State Capitol had cost $24 million, and was still unfinished.[39] After an investigation, a total of five people, including Huston, were convicted on December 18, 1908, and sentenced to two years in prison for "conspiring with State officials to defraud the State in the erection and furnishing of the Capitol."[40][41] The Superintendent of Public Ground and Buildings James Shumaker and Auditor GeneralWilliam Preston Snyder were also convicted. Among the convicted, John H. Sanderson andWilliam L. Mathues died before going to prison.[41]
From 1912 to 1917, the state acquired all of the 541 separate properties that comprise the Eighth Ward east of the capitol. The Eighth Ward was situated between the capitol and a set of railroad tracks, then owned by the Pennsylvania Railroad.[42]Arnold Brunner was hired in 1916 to develop new accommodations for state government, which had already outgrown the capitol.[43] He introduced his plan in 1920, which called, first, for the demolition of the Eighth Ward.[44] Brunner planned two office buildings behind the capitol, the North and South Office Buildings, and these were separated by acourtyard he named the People's Court. The South Office Building was completed in 1921. The leveling of the Eighth Ward was finished in 1925.[42]
Although Brunner died on February 14, 1925, elements of his plans were still completed, except for his People's Court, which became aparking lot.[45] Brunner planned a bridge to cross the railroad tracks and connect the capitol with the highest point in the city at 13th Street.[46] Brunner had also originally planned to have another bridge span the Susquehanna River, on the west side of the capitol. After his death, parts of the bridge were redesigned and became the currentState Street Bridge, which was completed in 1930. The Education Building, or Forum Building, was completed in 1931.[47]
ThePennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission erected twohistorical markers on August 11, 1953—one commemorating the Hills Capitol and another for the current capitol.[48] The capitol was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 14, 1977.[2] Beginning in 1981, highly regarded historic preservation architect,Hyman Myers, of the Philadelphia architecture firm,Vitetta Group, oversaw the restoration of the capitol building.[49] In 1982, the Capitol Preservation Committee (CPC) was created "to supervise and coordinate the historic preservation of the State Capitol Building".[50] One of the CPC's first projects was the preservation of the 390 Civil War flags and 22 flags from theSpanish–American War, which had been undisturbed since being placed in the rotunda in 1914.[51] Between 1985 and 1987,scaffolding was erected in the rotunda and the murals removed for restoration.[52] The statue atop the capitol dome was removed for restoration via helicopter in the summer of 1998, being returned in September of the same year.[53] It was decided to restore the Senate Chamber after it was flooded with 26,000 US gal (98,000 L; 22,000 imp gal) of water on February 14, 1999.[54] The capitol was declared aNational Historic Landmark on September 20, 2006, during its centennial.[55] On February 27, 2013, the boundaries of the designation were revised to encompass the grounds and surrounding buildings.[3]
The capitol is 520 ft (160 m) long and 272 ft (83 m) tall.[56] It is 254 ft (77 m) wide at its center wing and its two side wings are 212 ft (65 m).[56] The facade of the capitol is constructed out ofgranite fromHardwick,Vermont.[57] The 94 ft-diameter (29 m) dome is topped by thegilded brass statue ofCommonwealth byRoland Hinton Perry. Standing 14 ft 6 in (4 m) tall atop a 4 ft-diameter (1 m) ball, the statue is the personification of acommonwealth.[58] The dome features bright greenLudowici tiles and weighs 26,000short tons (24,000 t) and was architecturally inspired bySt. Peter's Basilica inVatican City.[59]
Huston designed the large bronze doors at the capitol's main entrance. They were modeled by sculptor Otto Jahnsen and were both cast in one piece using thelost wax method of casting by the Henry Bonnard Bronze Company.[60] The doors are decorated with scenes from the history of Pennsylvania, such as the arrival of William Penn and his peace treaty with theLenape.Busts of people who were important in the construction of the capitol, like Governor Pennypacker,Boies Penrose, andMatthew Quay, decorate the edges of the doors.[61] The bust of Huston hides the doors' keyhole.
The entrance is flanked by two sculptures, entitledLove and Labor: The Unbroken Law andThe Burden of Life: The Broken Law. Both were sculpted out ofCarrara marble from models created byGeorge Grey Barnard in 1909.[62]
The Pennsylvania Capitol Grounds, officially the Capitol Park, comprises 45 acres (18 ha) and 26.4 square perches (7,187 ft2; 668 m2).[42] The grounds are bounded by North Street on the north, 7th Street on the east, Walnut Street on the south and 3rd Street on the west. Arnold Brunner designed the layout of the grounds, which originally totaled only 15 acres (6 ha) from the land Harris and Maclay gave to the state. The remaining 29 acres (12 ha) were added when the state bought the Eighth Ward.
A 64 ft-tall (20 m) monument, dedicated to the citizens of Pennsylvania who died in theMexican–American War, was built in 1858. The monument was not placed onto the grounds until 1868 and was moved to the southeast corner of the grounds in 1893 when the Executive, Library, and Museum Building was built.[63] In 1896–97, a monument, dedicated to former governorJohn F. Hartranft, was sculpted byFrederick Ruckstull. The 26 ft-tall (8 m) monument was unveiled on May 18, 1899, and was placed in front of the capitol. It was moved in 1927 to in front of the Executive, Library, and Museum Building.[63] Friends of Penrose in the General Assembly, who had died in 1921, passed legislation for a memorial to Penrose. The 16 ft-tall (5 m) monument was dedicated on September 23, 1930, and is located near the corner of North 3rd and Walnut Streets.[63]
The Pennsylvania State Capitol houses the chambers for thePennsylvania House of Representatives, thePennsylvania Senate, and the Harrisburg chambers for theSupreme Court of Pennsylvania. The Capitol contains 475 rooms and has fourfloors, not including amezzanine between the first and second floors, and a basement.[64] The bronze entrance doors of the capitol lead into the rotunda on the first floor with the grand staircase in the center. The staircase in the rotunda is animperial staircase, similar to the one in thePalais Garnier inParis, France.[28] The staircase leads to the mezzanine between the first and second floors before dividing into two staircases leading to the second floor.Edwin Austin Abbey painted fourallegorical medallions around the base of the capitol dome, detailing the "four forces of civilization":Art,Justice,Science, andReligion. Fourlunette murals were also painted by Abbey and "symbolize Pennsylvania's spiritual and industrial contributions to modern civilization."[32] The lunettes are situated in the recesses of each arch in the rotunda. The rotunda is paved with tiles, hand-crafted byHenry Chapman Mercer, from theMoravian Pottery and Tile Works.[65] Mercer produced 16,000 sq ft (1,500 m2) of tile, which includes "377 mosaics, representing 254 scenes, artifacts, animals, birds, fish, insects, industries and workers from Pennsylvania history".[65] The interiors of the rotunda and the dome are inscribed with a quote from William Penn made upon the foundation of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania:[66]
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.
The lower house of the bicameral General Assembly, the House of Representatives, has 203 members, elected for a term of 2 years, and presided over by theSpeaker of the House. The House Chamber, or Hall of the House, is the largest of the three chambers at 90 ft (30 m) wide and 120 ft (40 m) long.[67] It is located on the south side of the rotunda.
The House Chamber was designed with anItalian Renaissance theme.[28]William B. Van Ingen created the fourteen circular, stained-glass windows in the House Chamber,[68] and Abbey painted its five murals.[69] The largest of the murals is situated behind the Speaker'srostrum. Named theApotheosis of Pennsylvania, it depicts 28 famous Pennsylvanians.[a][70]
The Senate is the upper house of the state legislature and has 50 members, elected to four-year terms. The Senate is presided over by the President of the Senate, who is also the Lieutenant Governor. The 95 by 80 ft (29 by 24 m) Senate Chamber, or Hall of the Senate, is the second-largest chamber and was designed with aFrench Renaissance theme.[28][71] It is located on the north side of the rotunda, opposite the House.Violet Oakley painted the murals in the Senate Chamber. Ingen also made 10 stained-glass windows for the Senate Chamber.[68][69] Both the House and Senate Chambers are on the second floor, each with an entrance on the upper third and fourth floors leading to apress and media gallery.[72]
TheSupreme Court of Pennsylvania is thecourt of last resort in the Commonwealth. TheSuperior Court of Pennsylvania is one of two intermediateappellate courts in the state. The Supreme Court Chamber, officially the Supreme and Superior Court Chamber, is used by both courts and was designed using ancientGreek andRoman themes.[28] It is located on the fourth floor of the capitol, on the east side of the rotunda. The Supreme Court Chamber is the smallest of the three chambers at 42 by 72 ft (13 by 22 m).[73]
Violet Oakley painted the 16 murals in the "Supreme Courtroom" to depict the history of law.[74] The cycle of 16 panels, painted between 1917 and 1927, begins and ends withDivine Law as its keystone, over the main entrance. Around the room clockwise, the murals represent theLaw of Nature; Greek, Hebrew, and ChristianRevealed Law; RomanLaw of Reason;English Common Law;William Penn as Law-Giver; State, National, and International law, and finally, theSpirit of Divine Law.[75] A stained-glass dome, designed by Pennsylvania native Alfred Godwin, is in the center of the ceiling.[73]
The Pennsylvania State Capitol Complex includes the buildings owned by the Commonwealth, which are controlled by thePennsylvania Department of General Services, and are centered on the capitol in Harrisburg.[76] The Capitol Complex became a National Historic Landmark in 2013 when the designation was revised to include not just the capitol, but the surrounding building as contributing property—except for the East Wing. The complex and greater area is protected full-time by thePennsylvania Capitol Police—its dedicated law enforcement agency—as well as theHarrisburg Bureau of Police, which patrols the entire city.
The oldest building in the complex is the Executive, Library, and Museum Building. Situated next to the Hills Capitol and the Huston Capitol, it was built in 1894. It was designated the Matthew J. Ryan Legislative Office Building on June 14, 1999, in recognition of former SpeakerMatthew J. Ryan.[77] The Ryan Office Building is the oldest building in the complex and was initially designed to house theState Library andState Museum of Pennsylvania, as well as the Governor's Office and Reception Room. Today it houses the offices of the members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.[44]
The seven-story North and South Office Buildings are situated behind the capitol and overlook the East Wing.[78] The South Office Building was renamed the K. Leroy Irvis Office Building on December 20, 2002, in recognition of former SpeakerK. Leroy Irvis.[79] The State Museum andState Archives buildings were constructed in 1964. A 640 by 320 ft (200 by 100 m) addition, called the East Wing, was dedicated on December 2, 1987.[80] The East Wing replaced the decades-old parking lot and fulfilled Brunner's plan of a People's Court. It was built partially underground, such that the tallest point on the East Wing barely reaches the first floor of the capitol.[80]
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