{"id":13054,"date":"2013-11-09T22:00:44","date_gmt":"2013-11-10T03:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/?p=13054"},"modified":"2024-12-03T16:16:11","modified_gmt":"2024-12-03T21:16:11","slug":"looking-for-socks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/?p=13054","title":{"rendered":"Looking For Socks"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"09<\/a>Linda Burton posting from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania <\/i>\u2013 \u201cThis is the handsomest building I ever saw,\u201d is a quote they brag about in Harrisburg. That\u2019s what President Theodore Roosevelt said on October 4, 1906, when he attended the dedication of the Pennsylvania state capitol. Now, I\u2019ve seen a lot of capitol buildings (this is the 47th<\/sup> one on the Journey<\/i>) and I try to be very careful not to compare one to another, focusing instead on the unique and beautiful qualities of each. But I found myself looking around for my socks today, because (figuratively speaking) my first glimpse\u00a0inside this capitol\u2019s rotunda knocked them off. Architect Joseph Huston (1866-1940) envisioned the capitol as a \u201cpalace of art\u201d and he did not miss the mark. It is described as a \u201cpriceless architectural and artistic treasure\u201d and its 600 rooms burst with so much color, and so many messages, that \u201csensory overload\u201d must be a way of life for those who work inside. And \"09<\/a>everybody does \u2013 the executive, judicial, and legislative branches are housed in the capitol; it is the workshop of Pennsylvania state government. It\u2019s a huge complex of Renaissance marble and gold; the outside (five stories high) is Vermont granite, the roof is green glazed terra cotta tile; inside you\u2019ll see Italian, French, English, Greek, Roman and Victorian influences. Yet somehow, Huston pulled it all together while telling the story of Pennsylvania, making it an all-American edifice. Because first and foremost, the capitol is a public building, belonging to the citizens of the Commonwealth. The marble staircase was set to showcase a wedding today; the guest chairs waited in place. I asked about the rotunda, but my guide pointed to the floor; \u201cLet\u2019s start with the Moravian tiles,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\"09<\/a>The colorful tiles that cover the floor of the rotunda and the first floor corridors are Pennsylvania German folk art, designed and manufactured by Henry Chapman Mercer (1856-1930) of Doylestown. Almost 400 tile mosaics illustrate the state\u2019s history, animals, industries, occupations, and modes of transportation. I snapped a few shots of animals, and what I thought was a settler chopping wood, on the way to the elevator.<\/p>\n

\"09<\/a>Senate Chamber. My socks were knocked off again. My brain could not absorb it all, nor could my camera; the walls of almost-black dark green were adorned with gold; a 44-foot-wide mural spread side to side high over the Senate president\u2019s desk; larger-than-life murals fit under arches on either side of it. \u201cThe murals were done by Violet Oakley,\u201d my guide explained; \u201cone of the first women ever to have been given such a monumental task.\u201d The massive Madonna-like figure with arms outstretched in the center spot wears a blue gown that \"09<\/a>becomes the \u201cwaters of life;\u201d see the waves curving at the edges? Oakley (1874-1961)\u00a0named the mural \u201cInternational Unity and Understanding;\u201d an active Christian Scientist, Oakley did not believe in war; the mural features swords beaten into ploughshares and Dante handing symbolic fruits of culture to the \"09<\/a>masses. Other panels show Gettysburg troops and the Gettysburg Address; and the Constitutional Convention delegates; but it was hard to focus on any one thing; my eyes kept switching from one grandeur to another. The massive iron and glass floor standards weigh about two tons each, I was told. The green marble that lines the walls is from Ireland; the mahogany of the senator\u2019s desks (original) is from Belize. \u201cHow many senators?\u201d was my last question. Pennsylvania has 50 state senators, was the answer; each serves a four-year term and represents approximately 246,000 constituents. And they still vote with verbal ayes and nays.<\/p>\n

\"09<\/a>Supreme Court. Pennsylvania\u2019s Supreme Court meets in three places, explained my guide \u2013 Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Harrisburg. She led me into the Harrisburg chamber, which contains sixteen paintings done by Violet Oakley. \u201cStand in front of this one and look at the letters,\u201d I was told, so I positioned myself to clearly see the \u201cLove\u201d painting. It took a while before I saw the \u201cL\u201d that framed the left and bottom of the painting; then I saw \u201cO V E\u201d painted inside the left portion of the \u201cL.\u201d Can you see the woman\u2019s eyes, top center? The letter \u201cA\u201d begins right there; below that is the \u201cW,\u201d spelling LAW. Look very carefully inside the \u201cW\u201d to see the rest of the word \u201cWisdom\u201d spelled out. My guide then turned my attention to\u00a0the painting of “The Ten Commandments,”\u00a0prominently displayed behind the chair of the Chief Justice, between the American flag and the Pennsylvania state flag. “Interesting,” I said.<\/p>\n

\"09<\/a>House Chamber. I cannot describe the House Chamber to you, you simply must go see it for yourself. My camera was powerless too, inside the huge, cavernous, ornate space. It can accommodate over a thousand individuals on ceremonial days; it seats 203 representatives during session. About the art \u2013 five murals by Edwin Austin Abbey (1852-1911)\u00a0decorate the walls, including “The Apotheosis,” located behind the Speaker\u2019s podium. It is 35 feet square, and depicts explorers, intellectuals, and leaders from the state\u2019s past. According to the numbered key, that\u2019s William \"09<\/a>Penn center front, flanked by Benjamin Franklin and Robert Morris (Morris established the first Bank of North America and was a financier of the American Revolution). Can you spot Thomas Paine, or Daniel Boone? The mythical figure at the very top represents \u201cGenius of State.\u201d The fourteen stained glass windows, created by William Van Ingen (1858-1955), are four feet in diameter and framed in 24-karat gold leaf embellishments, featuring themes such as Abundance, Justice, and Education. The Speaker\u2019s throne chair is \"09<\/a>carved from pollard oak; the mace is made of solid mahogany topped by a brass sphere engraved with the Coat of Arms of the Commonwealth. The chandeliers weigh from two to four tons each, and require over 1,000 light bulbs. What else can I say? My socks are lost again. Oh yes, for a modern touch, they vote electronically and function paperless; laptops sat neatly atop every desk.<\/p>\n

\"09<\/a>My guide apologized that she could not take me into the Governor\u2019s Reception Room today, but explained that it contains a grandfather clock that is over a hundred years old, and more paintings by Violet Oakley; those paintings depict the history of religious liberty in England, and the rise of the Quaker religion. Back in the rotunda again, I finally got to ask my question. \u201cWhat are the words I can barely see running around the top?\u201d \u201cThose are the words of William Penn, expressing his hopes for the new land,\u201d she explained, and recited them without pause.<\/p>\n

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.<\/i><\/p>\n

\"09<\/a>American flags hung from the balcony today; I stood in the middle of the rotunda and looked upward, trying to take it all in. \u201cThe rotunda is illuminated by 48 portholes at the top of the dome, and nearly 4,000 lights,\u201d my guide pointed out. \u201cThe 272-foot, 52 million-pound dome was inspired by Michelangelo\u2019s \"09<\/a>design for St Peter\u2019s Basilica in Rome. The Grand Staircase and three-tiered gallery are features borrowed from the Paris Opera House. The eight large murals by Edwin Austin Abbey are a tribute to Pennsylvania and its history. The four round ones measure 14 feet in circumference; the four crescent-shaped ones each are 38 by 22 feet.\u201d<\/p>\n

I thanked my guide profusely for a good tour; we parted company. I wanted to sit and study the murals for a while, but the neatly-rowed chairs reminded me that a wedding would be happening soon; I\u2019d best be on my way. And besides, my feet were cold.<\/p>\n

Pennsylvania State Capitol, 501 N Third Street, 1-800-868-7672 for tours and open hours, http:\/\/www.pacapitol.com\/Main.html<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Linda Burton posting from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania \u2013 \u201cThis is the handsomest building I ever saw,\u201d is a quote they brag about in Harrisburg. That\u2019s what President Theodore Roosevelt said on October 4, 1906, when he attended the dedication of the Pennsylvania state capitol. Now, I\u2019ve seen a lot of capitol buildings (this is the 47th […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4587,1738],"tags":[2884,2207,2882,3100,2881,2879,2880,2888,2867,2885,677,2883,2886,2878,2877,2887],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13054"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13054"}],"version-history":[{"count":46,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13054\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15536,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13054\/revisions\/15536"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13054"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13054"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13054"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}