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Ground was broken in 1902 in the city of Harrisburg to start
construction of the PA State Capitol Building after serving as
the state capitol since 1812. This outstanding building was
designed by architect Joseph M. Huston. He took inspiration
from St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.
At the dedication of the Capitol building on October 4, 1906,
President Theodore Roosevelt declared, "This is the handsomest
State Capitol I have ever seen and I don't believe there is a
finer on earth."
The Capitol building houses the Pennsylvania General
Assembly, the Supreme Court of PA, the office of the Governor,
the Lieutenant Governor and other state officials. The
interior of the building is magnificent and is adorned with
marble, gold leafing, large murals and beautiful collections of
artwork.
Pennsylvania's history is laid out in tile on the floor of
the main hallway as well as the symbols, insects and animals of
PA. The grand staircase is modeled after the staircase at the
Paris Opera.
After many years of neglect, however, the Pennsylvania
Capitol Preservation Committee was established in 1982 with its
focus on restoring this building to its original glory and
making it as historically authentic as possible. The hard work
of so many is now visible throughout the Capitol building for
all to enjoy.
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