It was built in 1898 and 99 and this was commissioned in 1901. The designed and constructed by architectures of miller houston, philadelphia. The our building was designed in the american renaissance style. Italian building that tries to incor incorporate european motives. It has an astronomical amount of ornamentation. The principal chambers are amazing, marble from the pyrenees and just an amazing work of art. As youre walking in, were at the west of the main entrance. Outtowards state treat. As you approach you the exterior staircase you walk into the center and the rotunda will open before you. It rises about 272 feet up to the top where the statue of commonwealth sits. Its 24 karat gold leafing throughout. The four murals would show an ali gore i cal figure with a sense of realism. Val can depicted in the mural and then blast furnaces. Pennsylvania, iron, Steel Industry at the turn of the last century and provided over by the roman god of the forge. At the spirit of liberty has allegore i cal pennsylvania as a bastian of religious freedom. Science revealing the treasures of the earth and spirit of light has oil dereks with Angels Holding flames up above it. As you go up further you have a railing and then these large 8foot tall windows that rise up. And the lantern which is about 270 feet in the air and has stars in the lantern. Thats up where the commonwealth statue sits on top of the dome. Most people ask about the green on the dome. They are actually red clay tiles but have whats called an empire green glaze. The entire roof line running up there is actually green tile. Thats what joseph houston, he liked that instead of just having red terra cotta tile. Were in the Senate Chamber. Three principal chambers in the building. 9 senator chamber is it done in the french renaissance. Each chamber has a unique architectural motif it keeps it. Marble in here. We have artwork by philadelphia artists. The stain the glass the windows. Really a unique of piece of 24 karat gold leafing throughout the entire capital. You can see on the ceiling and pediments. The most of the furnishing is still historic to 1906. Desks are historic. Furniture in the front, the draperies. Carpet. Architecturally the goal was present as many european and motives as possible. It stemmed from the chicago world fair where they started to produce monumental public buildings in the United States and joseph houston saw that. He took the grand tour and was inspired and wanted to build european buildings in the u. Is. Thats where the design stems from. The top freeze is called International Unity and understanding. It has a central figure. The slaves of the earth being freed as they approach the veils of unty. It moves toward the central figure. She has the creation and preservation of the union, and then on the other side she has president linken giving the getties burg address. She lived until she was 87. In 1955 she came back before the senate at that time. She went into great detail with the senators telling them what the representations of the murls were for them. The murals were put here to inspire the senators. Weve moved from the Senate Chamber to the House Chamber. Pennsylvania house has 203 members. The house is probably the most or nature room in the building, arguably, done in the italian renaissan renaissance. At the time this capital was built, there was a 15 to 20 year period when a building like this would have been in the pennsylvania, 1820 to 1910, that guilded age, its pennsylvanias palace of art. We were at the height of industry, height of capitalism, everything was being made and done in pennsylvania at the turn of the last century. It wanted to show its industrial and commercial wealth and it did it through the capital building. All of this gold leaf and aaluminum leaf and copper and Everything Else incorporated wanted to show it was at the height of architect and artist tri thats what it wanted to display. The chand leers we think weigh about 3 tons a piece, the smaller wons a ton and a half and they go through the next floor through giant chains and turn buckles and theyre attached to the steel trusses. The smaller light standards and some of the skonss were done by the pennsylvania Bronze Company which was located in philadelphia. The murals has 34 identify call members of pennsylvania, a allegorical genius of state figure. William pen, loosely grouped by famous religious figures in pennsylvania history, generals, explorer, fill and throwists. With the independent iance, Benjamin West did the original, thats a model. Edwin austin did all of the murals. The last mural on the other side is the first public reading of the declaration of independence off of the steps of independence hall. The mural on the ceiling is called the hours mural. That was painted by edwin austin abby, as well. Originally joseph houston was going toing a stain glass dome into the ceiling. They decided in 1904 they would put another floor above that. He had to move his dome. Well see that at the Supreme Court chamber, they moved the dome over there. He created a hours mourl, the 24 hours of the day from light to dark and its allegorical madance joseph houston tried to pick as many pennsylvania artists at the time. Abbey was a native philadelphia but a english ex pay tree it. Abby had done a work for the blochb public library, and houston saw those and really like abbys work and since he was a pennsylvaniian, he got the commission. He was supposed to do all the principles problems. He did the rotunda and also the House Chamber and then he got ill and passed away. Violet oakley who was the first female artist in the United States to do large scale decorative mural painting didnt complete, but she was given the commission for the senate and the Supreme Court chamber after abbys death. All told Violet Oakley did the majority of the work in the building, 43 murals over the course of 25 years. Were currently in the supreme superior court chamber. This is part of the design of joseph houstons plan for the capital that the rear central portion of the fourth floor would have the court chamber. This is one of three, one of three supreme and superior Court Chambers in which the court can meet. The dome here in the Supreme Court was actually meant to be over top of the House Chamber, we believe, and it was brought here as they they were adding a fifth floor to the building. Even as the building was being constructed in 1906 they were running out of space so they added more rooms on the top and moved the dome which was already in production here. This green stain glass dome was done by alfred god win. Its got basically a penthouse over top that lets light in over the sides. Its foe lit from the inside so on cloudy dates its lit up. This room is the final room that Violet Oakley produced. She spent 25 years to the First Commission she got was in 1902, these works were installed in 1927. She worked on the senate and Supreme Court at the same time. So, she completed the senate around 1919, 1920, and then went on and did these works for seven years. Basically, you have Violet Oakley, the whole fries errepresents her idea of the revolution of law. It starts with the antic wity and works its way up through the 1920s which is the evolution of world law and International Law which cull minimum its in world peace. Black stones kmen tears is a unique mural. Thats the one when you come in the door, you see facing. You see this kind of imposing figure of blackstone sitting on the bench looking at you. The other is william pen seated. He was the greatest law giver the nation has known. Lined up behind him are famous humanist thinkers. At the very top of the corner, Violet Oakley painted a self portrait of herself in that. Most people dont see that. Oakley traveled to oxfords library and did research there. She asked the librarian for a history of law, he said there wasnt one, so she said she shed have to write one. She wrote one in temperature of her paintings or what she wanted to produce which goes through bib lick al, hebrew, ju dayic, comes up with pennsylvania law, u. S. Law with john marshal and world law. Its a really original work that she has depicted here. Capital preservations role is to care for the fine decorative arts, historic and fabric of the building. We were formed in 1902. Were a bipartisan legislative service committee. Our goal is really to protect the 640 rooms, the historic fabric, any of the artwork and architect chur, thats the type of stuff we deal with, the historic furnish, clocks, civil war flags, you name it, were across the board in what we do and how we care for the building and its upkeep. What we have visitors take away is a aprash iation for the monumental work that the commonwealth did and the fine works in america. It is one of few that are as or nature as it is. And its we take great pride in keeping it that way. And in trying to ensure that rooms arent just gutted and, you know, that theres a theres a aesthetic there that we try and show case it as the master piece that it is. When you think about a oneday festival, the National Book festival and you have over 100 authors from childrens authors, illustrators, graphic novelist, all of these different authors there all day over 100,000 people come in and celebrate books and reading. You cant have a better time, i think. And im a little prejudice because im a librarian, but i have to tell you, any reader or anybody that wants to get inspired, the book festival is the perfect place. Book tvs live all day coverage begins saturday 10 00 a. M. With featured authors including Pulitzer Prize winning authors, former secretary of state conned leasesa rice and best selling so far as Michael Louis and j. D. Vans. C. Span 2s book tv. Up next more from our lectures in history series. This see vent features university of virginia professor teaching a class on civil war memory and how people in the north and south have inter