Pennsylvania

The Rotunda

The amazing rotunda is lit by almost 4,000 lights. The lighting fixtures include two angels holding globe lights standing on the Grand Staircase newel posts. The Grand Staircase was designed after the stairs in Charles Garnier's Paris Opera House. Under the dome are four medallions by Edwin Austin Abbey which represent Art, Law, Science, and Religion.

	Inner dome image courtesy of David Wright   Click here for larger image of the inner dome
	Click here for larger detail images

 
 
image courtesy of tanguero

Click here for larger image

Restoration
The Pennsylvania capitol underwent extensive restoration in preparation for its Centennial in October of 2006. Everything down to the hanging wall clocks seems to have been repaired and restored. One large task in this project was the cleaning and repair of the Moravian tile floor.

Moravian "Mercer" Tile Floor
Henry Chapman Mercer designed and hand-crafted the 377 mosaics in the tile that covers the capitol's first floor. He also produced the 16,000 square feet of Moravian field and mosaic tiles required for the space. The mosaics tell the story of the history of Pennsylvania. I have to wonder why a house fly is included.

House of Representatives
The largest room in the capitol, the House Chamber is four stories high. It is larger than two basketball courts and can hold 1,000 people. The design is Italian Renaissance. In the House Chamber are five murals by Edwin Austin Abbey and 14 circular stained glass windows by William Brantley Van Ingen.

Senate
The Senate Chamber is decorated in French Renaissance style. The murals here are by Violet Oakley. The ten circular stained glass windows are by William Brantley Van Ingen.

Interior Design, Art and Decoration
The four great rooms of the Pennsylvania capitol are decorated in different Renaissance designs. Throughout these rooms and the rotunda are murals, medallions, and stained glass by four Philadelphia artists, Edwin Austin Abbey, Alfred Godwin, Violet Oakley, and William Brantley Van Ingen. (The Governor's Reception Room is not included here - yet.)

Supreme Court
The Supreme and Superior Court Chamber is dominated by a stained glass dome by Alfred Godwin of Philadelphia. The 16 murals here, like those in the Senate Chamber, are by Violet Oakley who spent 15 years creating the murals for these two rooms.