{"id":10180,"date":"2013-01-07T22:00:43","date_gmt":"2013-01-08T03:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/?p=10180"},"modified":"2024-12-04T17:45:04","modified_gmt":"2024-12-04T22:45:04","slug":"in-with-the-new","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/?p=10180","title":{"rendered":"Still In Tallahassee"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"7<\/a>Linda Burton posting from Tallahassee, Florida <\/i>\u2013 \u201cThis plaque is dedicated to Senator Lee Wisenborn whose valiant effort to move the Capitol to Orlando was the prime motivation for the construction of this building.\u201d A touch of humor, and a telling dedication. The nontraditional Florida capitol is the newest in the country, a modern 22-story tower that rises 307 feet from the public entrance on the Plaza Level to the Observation Deck. It is the fourth building to serve as Florida\u2019s capitol; officially dedicated March 31, 1978. Immediately after its opening, restoration began on the Old Capitol, which sits in front of the new \u201clike a jewel,\u201d with white columns, picturesque grounds, and (although they were down the day I was there) red-striped awnings over the windows. The Old Capitol is a museum today, refurbished to its 1902 appearance, but it was almost bulldozed during the controversy over how to gain space, and where to do it. Tallahassee is not centrally located in \"7<\/a>the state now, but it was in the beginning. The Spanish colonies of East Florida and West Florida had capitals in St Augustine and Pensacola; the establishment of Florida territory in 1822 merged the two. The first session of Florida\u2019s Legislative Territorial Council met at Pensacola; members from St Augustine traveled fifty-nine days by water to attend. The next year they met in St Augustine; western delegates traveled around the peninsula on a twenty-eight-day trek. That\u2019s when they agreed on a halfway point, and that was Tallahassee, an abandoned Apalachee settlement. The third session, in 1824, met in a log-cabin; the precedent was set for Tallahassee as capital city. A two-story structure replaced the cabin in 1826; the third capitol was completed by 1845. And the fourth I\u2019m standing in today, despite the \u201cvaliant effort\u201d of Senator Wisenborn. <\/p>\n

\"7<\/a>The Wisenborn plaque is affixed to the north wall facing the elevators. At the security desk I had been advised to go straight back to the Welcome Center; it\u2019s part of Visit Florida so that\u2019s where you learn about the capitol, or any other spot in Florida you might want to visit. At the visitor desk, I had been advised to start my self-guided tour on the 22nd<\/sup> floor, in the observation deck. So to the elevator and up to a bright and sunny view; there were a few \"7<\/a>sitting areas tucked in corners here and there, and art gallery space displaying paintings and sculptures. The walls were a simple white; it was a comfortable spot to browse. I passed a painting of the Landing of Ponce de Leon<\/i>; and then a modern piece \u2013 was it mangroves? Outside, Florida spread out into the distance; I noticed church spires lined up downtown and the Florida State campus\u00a0to the west.<\/p>\n

The express button in the elevator took me down to 5 for a peek at the Senate and House Chambers; between the two a balcony had Florida Facts carved into the edge, clearly visible from below.<\/p>\n