Since the Commonwealth's founding in 1682, Pennsylvania's capitals have been located in the cities of Philadelphia, Lancaster and Harrisburg. For five decades Pennsylvania's Legislature had no official meeting place. Members assembled in the Philadelphia area wherever space could be found - in homes, town halls, and schools. Then the Legislature met in Philadelphia's Independence Hall. Celebrating the House of Representatives as America's oldest, freely-elected legislature, Speaker Isaac Norris II inscribed and installed the Liberty Bell in Independence Hall in 1752, a generation before the Declaration of Independence was signed in the House Assembly Room of Independence Hall.
As the state's western settlements grew, a more accessible location was needed. The House, after 63 years, with the new Senate, departed Independence Hall in 1799 for temporary quarters in Lancaster's Courthouse. Then, the state Legislature passed an act in 1810 that made Harrisburg the state capitol effective in October of 1812. Actual construction of a new Capitol building began in April of 1819. The Capitol was finished on January 2, 1822, at a cost of about $135,000.
For 75 years, the Legislature was housed within the "Redbrick" Capitol, designed and built by English-born Stephen Hills. During this busy time, the Legislature enacted the nation's first public education act for all students. The Legislature hosted President-elect Abraham Lincoln who addressed joint sessions of the General Assembly. Four other Presidents also visited the Capitol.
The House and Senate met on February 2, 1897. Shortly after noon, the first signs of smoke were discovered. Within an hour the dome collapsed in flames and by mid afternoon the building was in ruins. Despite the fact that both the House and Senate were in session when the fire broke out, the Legislature reported no fatalities. The Legislature ordered an investigation which failed to establish the cause of the blaze, but circumstantial evidence indicated that a faulty fireplace flue was the cause.
The cornerstone for the new Capitol was laid on May 5, 1904. During the interm years between 1897 and October 1906, when the Capitol was dedicated, the Legislature met at Grace Methodist Church, which still stands on nearby State Street.
"It's the handsomest building I ever saw."
President Theodore Roosevelt
at the Capitol Dedication
October 4, 1906
The Capitol, designed by architect Joseph Huston of Philadelphia, incorporated the walls of an unsuccessful 1898 plan and building by Chicago architect Henry Ives Cobb. The building was declared "the most beautiful state Capitol in the nation" by President Theodore Roosevelt when he dedicated it on October 4, 1906. Built and furnished at a cost of $13 million, the building was designed in the classic Renaissance style. The building's five story exterior is faced with Vermont granite and the roof is of green glazed tile. The Capitol is 520 feet long and 254 feet wide and covers two acres of ground.
The dome was inspired by the great domes of St. Peter's in Rome and the United States Capitol. The Rotunda staircase was based on that of the Paris Opera. The dome is a landmark illuminated by 48 portholes and floodlights within the roof. The Capitol interior features four great rooms, of which the Hall of the House is the largest. Different Renaissance designs are featured in some of its most important rooms -- Italian in the House, French in the Senate and English in the Governor's Reception Room. The art and ornamentation reflect Greek, Roman and Victorian styles.
In 1989 the New York Times praised the Pennsylvania Capitol, calling it "grand, even awesome at moments, but it is also a working building, accessible to citizens... a building that connects with the reality of daily life."
