The Massachusetts State House, also known as Massachusetts Statehouse or New State House, is the state capital and seat of government for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, located in the neighborhood Beacon Hill/Downtown in Boston. The home building of the Massachusetts General Court (state legislative body) and the office of the Governor of Massachusetts. The building, designed by architect Charles Bulfinch, was completed in January 1798 at a cost of $ 133,333 (more than five times the budget), and has been repeatedly enlarged since. It is considered a work of Federal architecture and among Bulfinch's best works, and is designated a National Historic Landmark because of its architectural significance.
Video Massachusetts State House
Building and yard
The building is located on a land of 6.7 acres (27,000 m 2 ) above Beacon Hill in Boston, across from Boston Common on Beacon Street. It was built on land once owned by John Hancock, the first elected governor of Massachusetts. The Masonic laying ceremony took place on 4 July 1795, and was led by Paul Revere, Vice Grand Master of the Massachusetts Grand Lodge.
Before the current State House was completed in 1798, the Massachusetts government home is the Old State Building on Court Street. For building design, architect Charles Bulfinch utilizes two buildings in London: William Chambers's Somerset House, and James Wyatt's Pantheon.
After the state of Maine separated from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and became a state in 1820, the state capitol was built with the influence of the Massachusetts Capitol building architecture with the simplified Greek Awakening influence.
The main expansion of the original building was completed in 1895. The architect for the pavilion was the Bostonian Charles Brigham.
In 1917, the east and west wings, designed by architects Sturgis, Bryant, Chapman & amp; Andrews, done.
In July 2016, Governor Charlie Baker proposed to the state legislature to sell 300 square feet (28 m 2 ) from a permanent amenity on the west side of the Country House yard to a neighboring condominium. The land in question is the pasture once owned by John Hancock and the conveniences will allow the addition of an au pair unit.
Maps Massachusetts State House
Dome
The original, leaked wood dome, covered with copper in 1802 by Paul Revere's Revere Copper Company. Revere was the first American to successfully roll copper into commercial sheet (for copper coating).
The first dome was painted gray and then light yellow before plated with gold leaf in 1874. During World War II, the dome was painted gray once more, to prevent reflections during blackouts and to protect the city and buildings from bombing attacks. In 1997, at a cost of over $ 300,000, the dome was gilded, in a 23k gold.
The dome was topped by a pine-cone cone, symbolizing both the importance of the timber industry of Boston during the early colonial period and the state of Maine, which is the Massachusetts Commonwealth district when the Bulfinch section of the building was completed.
Statues
In front of the building is a horse riding statue of General Hooker. Other statues in front of the building include Daniel Webster, educator Horace Mann, and former US President John F. Kennedy. The statues of Anne Hutchinson and Mary Dyer are located in the courtyard under the wings of east and west.
Inside the building
The original red brick building of Bulfinch contains the governor's office (at the west end) with the Massachusetts Senate occupying the former Chamber of Commons under the dome. The Massachusetts House of Representatives occupies a room on the west side of the addition of Brigham. Hanging above this room is the "Holy Cod", which was given to the House of Representatives in 1784 by a Boston merchant. The Sacred Cod symbolizes the importance of the fishing industry for the early Massachusetts economy.
The second floor under the dome is decorated by a mural painted by artist Edward Brodney. Brodney won the competition to paint the first mural in a contest sponsored by the Works Progress Administration in 1936. It is entitled "Columbia Knighting Her World War Disabled." Brodney can not afford the model, and friends and family pose. The model for Columbia is Brodney's sister, Norma Brodney Cohen, and the model for soldiers on one knee in the foreground is her brother Fred Brodney. In 1938, he painted a second mural under a dome called "Mother World War." The model is again primarily friends and family members, with sister Norma sitting next to their mother, Sarah Brodney. The New York Times notes that murals are examples of relatively rare military art with women as their subject.
A staircase in front of the Bulfinch building leads from Beacon Street to Doric Hall inside the building. The big main door inside Doric Hall only opened on three occasions:
- When the President of the United States or the head of a foreign country visits.
- When the governor leaves the building on his last day at the office. This tradition was known as the Long Walk and began when the Governor, alone, exited the Executive Room, walked to the second floor, through Doric Hall, and out of the main door. He then descended the stairs, crossed Beacon Street, and entered the Boston Common, symbolically reuniting with the Massachusetts people as civilians. Tradition has been cut off over the last few years. Governor William Weld descended the stairs on his final day in office July 29, 1997, meeting his successor then-Lieutenant Governor A. Paul Cellucci on the stairs. Four years later, then Governor Cellucci lost his symbolic opportunity to descend the House State steps due to ongoing renovation in front of the building. Acting Governor Jane Swift chose to descend the stairs with her family before leaving for the Berkshire Mountains. On January 4, 2007, Deval Patrick chose to be inducted on the stairs and gave his inaugural address there, forcing Governor Mitt Romney out to take Long Walk the day before his last in office.
- When the banner of the regiment is returned from the battle. Since the regimental flag is now back in Washington, D.C., this has not been done since the Vietnam War.
The Samuel Adams and Paul Revere time capsule is a metal box located on the runway of the State House, housed there in the late 1700s and rediscovered in 2014. Its contents include coins, newspaper clippings and other historical artifacts.
In the literature
One of Boston's most enduring nicknames, "The Hub of the Universe", is from Oliver Wendell Holmes's remarks from his book in 1858 The Autocrat of the Breakfast-Table where he mentions the State Building (emphasis added) ):
In the movie
In the 1982 film The Verdict , the interior of the State House was used both as a court house and hospital.
The State House featured prominently in the 2006 film The Departed as a symbol of antagonistic ambition, Colin Sullivan.
In the video game
In the game 2013 The Last of Us, both the interior and the exterior of the building are depicted. Required to pass through the entire building, which has been partially destroyed.
The State House is featured in Fallout 4 , a video game by Bethesda Softworks.
Picture gallery
See also
- List of National Historic Landmarks in Boston
- List of Historic Historic Places of Historic Places in northern Boston, Massachusetts
Note
References
- The Cup of Capitalism - State Capitol Building Histories (L-ME) (1998-2005). Cupola.com . May 17, 2005.
- The Evolution of Country House (2005). Interactive Country House . Mass.gov. May 17, 2005.
Further reading
- Arthur Milnor Bridgman. A souvenir of Massachusetts legislators. Stoughton, Mass.: A.M. Bridgman, 1908.
- Harold Kirker. Architecture Charles Bulfinch. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1969.
External links
- Tour at Massachusetts State House
- Boston Boston National Historic Park Website
- Images of the State House, various dates (via the State Library of Massachusetts on Flickr)
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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