May 26: Annapolis!

After heading to the Maryland beach for a lovely morning of strolling, wading and wild-horse watching we made it to Annapolis to view the nice, historical Maryland capitol.

(At left, John in front of George Washington and the place where he supposedly stood)

Similar to the Delaware capitol, Annapolis is colonial in style with a small dome and brick sidings built in 1772, said to be the "oldest state house in America still in legislative use." There were many historical happenings here, like George Washington resigning his commission, the Treaty of Paris, and more. Much of the art was in "restoration" or "preservation." We were not allowed upstairs here, not sure why.

Dover May 25, 2010

Last capitol of the day, we made it, though tired, still excited for our capitol cruising!

No traditional dome in Dover, architecturally, the exterior was influenced by Georgian Revival style with brick, built in 1933, still in use. The Old State House, adjacent to the new one, was used for the previous 141 years. Anyway, the new "Legislative Hall" as it is called is fairly simple and colonial in style, both inside and out. A few paintings and quaintness. Most appreciated, the staff was very friendly and welcoming, allowing us to roam and take shots as we please. One of the guards even took one of the both of us, one of the only shots we have together! Thanks for your hospitality!

Trenton...May 25, 2010

Oh, Trenton...did not want to allow us in! Even though technically the state house/capitol building is supposed to be a "public" building, they did not want to allow any public to view the capitol building at their own leisure...is this friendly/welcoming or inviting to visitors? We were on a tight schedule and so we made it in due to catching up with a school tour...

A traditional gold shiny dome tops the NJ capitol which was built in 1792 and still in use by the executive and legislative branches. Along the interior there were some paintings of governors, a fairly nice capitol in all, but also pretty simple and not very "people" or "tourist" friendly unfortunately.

Harrisburg! May 25, 2010

Wow, made it to the East, on to Gettysburg and to the Harrisburg capitol! Well we spent so much time in Gettysburg wandering around the cemetaries and sites that we had to put off Harriburg til the morning (making our day 2 = 3 capitols!)...

the Harrisburg capitol was a delight, very fanciful, full of art and classic decor, and busy! There was a press conference happening of some sort, people in suits and business-garb wandering about, tvs and writers atwitter...it was fun to see action going on!

The cool 272 high dome was modeled after St. Peter's in Rome, and no wonder, it is gorgeous. There are paintings of symbol and quotes, mentioning art, religion, science, and Pennsylvania's founding industries of coal, oil and steal represented in art. There is an enormous marble staircase that was inspired by the staircase at the Paris Opera when it was built in 1906 (rebuilt after a fire destroyed the first capitol built in 1897). Floors are laid with PA-made tiles, along with PA artist made mosaics, stained glass windows in the House and Senate. Also notable in the Senate chamber is the work of female artist Violet Oakley, whose paintings reflect the creation and preservation of the Union. I can't understate how pleasant the Pennsylvania capitol was, though Harrisburg the town was a different story...