In case you were wondering, the 10 states whose Capitol buildings I have now visited are Wisconsin, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Nevada, Idaho, Texas, Pennsylvania, Arkansas and Washington.
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| Romanesque Revival was very popular at the turn of the century |
This old Capitol building was originally the Thurston County Courthouse and was built in 1892 of Chuckanut stone. The original structure included a 150 foot octagonal clock tower with clock faces on all eight sides that is sadly no longer present.
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| the Seal of the State of Washington, etched on flash green and clear glass installed to commemorate the centennial of the state is shown at top of photo. |
When the building was put to use as the Capitol a new wing was added. With this addition in 1905 the building featured three 20-foot-wide domed skylights, 12 conical towers arranged around all sides, and an ornate, wrought-iron elevator, which carried not only passengers but a small "snack bar" as well.
Over the years the building has faced many challenges, besides the usual upgrades and maintenance you would expect it has also survived a fire that gutted the tower and the fourth floor of the West and connecting wings, as well as earthquakes in 1949, 1965 and 2001.
I took to walking in the drizzle that afternoon, poking around a few shops and admiring the local architecture as I am prone to do.
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| Capitol Theater built in 1924 still in use |
There were quite a few small murals, I'll save the big mural for another Monday.
My favorite shop was Hot Toddy, lots of retro reproduction style clothing and cat themed items to buy my daughter Katrina would have loved it! Linking up to Monday Mural.
Thanks for participating Pam, love the "yes kittens we are open" sign.
ReplyDeleteInteresting facts - and a cute sun!
ReplyDeleteDo like the first building
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