{"id":5689,"date":"2012-11-29T22:00:50","date_gmt":"2012-11-30T03:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/?p=5689"},"modified":"2024-12-04T17:38:19","modified_gmt":"2024-12-04T22:38:19","slug":"its-pretty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/?p=5689","title":{"rendered":"It’s Pretty"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Linda Burton posting from Little Rock, Arkansas <\/em>\u2013 I think you\u2019ll agree with me when you visit the Arkansas State Capitol. It\u2019s pretty. You start thinking that when you\u2019re half a block away and can see the shiny bronze doors across the front; they are positively gleaming. The building is brilliantly clean and white; the grounds are neatly groomed; like I said, it\u2019s pretty. Some capitols go for simplicity; some for magnificence. Many put their attention towards works of art; others are designed to reflect the cultural heritage of the state. The Arkansas capitol is pleasing to look at and makes \"\"<\/a>you want to hang around and keep looking. Like I said, it\u2019s pretty. And folks inside are friendly. The security guards greeted me warmly, directing me across the great hallway to the Visitors Desk, right past the decorations that were half in the box but rapidly being placed on the tree by a very patient person with a long-stemmed hook. \u201cI think the tree is 32 feet,\u201d he answered to my question, as I looked up and up through the next\u00a0balcony into the soaring rotunda. I spotted touches of red on every floor above; I couldn\u2019t wait to see it all. So April took me on a tour. <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>She wanted me to see the Governor\u2019s Reception Room first; it\u2019s used by the Governor to meet with staff, reporters, and members of the public; it\u2019s also where bills are signed into law. The mantle on one end has carvings representing European settlers; on the other end of the room the carvings bear the likenesses of Native Americans. Today the mantles are draped in red. So is the staircase, as April leads me towards the elevator, where I catch my reflection in the east front bronze doors that I\u2019d admired from outside. They are even \"\"<\/a>more splendid up close. \u201cThey are 10 feet tall and weigh a thousand pounds each,\u201d April said. \u201cThey were bought from Tiffany\u2019s in 1910 for $10,000; today they are valued at $3 million.\u201d \u201cHow do you keep them so shiny?\u201d I asked. \u201cThey are polished every single day,\u201d April answered. \u201cThe same man has polished them every day for the past nine years. He uses Brasso.\u201d Polished every day! That is taking care.<\/p>\n

In the House Gallery my adjective changes from pretty to beautiful. The room is breathtaking; a softly colored stained glass dome above; softly draped silk curving between the panels overhead. \u201cThe stained glass was added to reduce the glare,\u201d April \"\"<\/a>explained; \u201cand the draperies to improve the acoustics.\u201d The ultimate effect is a high-ceilinged room that feels like an intimate workspace. April threw a few more facts my way \u2013 Arkansas has 35 senators and 100 representatives. Senators may serve two four-year terms; representatives three two-year terms. The General Assembly meets in regular session for at least 60 days in odd-numbered years; a fiscal session lasting at least 30 days meets in even-numbered years.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The second-level balcony is buzzing with activity; there are lights to be hung and the Santa Village to be readied for Saturday\u2019s lighting ceremony and Open House. The public is invited; choirs will be singing; children will be wide-eyed, I\u2019m sure. Now we\u2019re looking up into the rotunda; gazing at the chandelier. \u201cIt weighs 4,000 pounds and the chain is 73 feet long. It takes 27 minutes for the electric pulley to lower it when the light bulbs need to be changed.\u201d April regales me with more facts but I\u2019m on sensory overload by now.<\/p>\n

I thanked April for the tour and we promised to look for each other at the Saturday ceremony. \u201cOh, and it\u2019s 213 feet from the ground level to the top of the cupola,\u201d she said, unable to resist one more superlative fact. Back through the doors and outside, I turned around to check it out. Yep, it\u2019s pretty, all right.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Linda Burton posting from Little Rock, Arkansas \u2013 I think you\u2019ll agree with me when you visit the Arkansas State Capitol. It\u2019s pretty. You start thinking that when you\u2019re half a block away and can see the shiny bronze doors across the front; they are positively gleaming. The building is brilliantly clean and white; the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4586,1497],"tags":[1552,1500,1553,579,3076,1554,170,677],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5689"}],"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=5689"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5689\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5691,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5689\/revisions\/5691"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5689"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5689"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5689"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}