Charleston, West Virginia

June 15-17, 2022

The Capitol

The West Virginia capitol was designed by architect Casa Gilbert who also designed the Woolworth building in New York as well as the Minnesota and Arkansas capitols. Construction was begun in 1924 and proceeded in three phases: The west building, the east building and the main building. Construction was complete in 1932. Total cost of the capitol was $9,491,180.

Each of the two wings is 300 x 60 feet. The main building is 558 x 120 feet. The exterior is Indiana select buff limestone adorned with pairs of Doric pilasters. Pediments are trimmed with terra cotta.

The dome is 292 feet high and 75 feet in diameter.

Lawmakers were concerned that gilding the dome would be prohibitively expensive but Gilbert demonstrated that plaster with gilding would be less expensive and more reliable than stone.

The golden eagle topping the staff is 292 feet high.

The chandelier that hangs in the rotunda is made of beveled glass and weighs 4,000 pounds.

Hallways to the legislative chambers have ceilings embellished with square coffered panels featuring leaves of West Virginia hardwoods.

Lights line the hallways to the legislative chambers. They are Italian alabaster bowls atop black and gold Belgian marble.

Floors are Italian travertine marble and white Vermont marble.

The entry to to House of Delegates features a rug with the House’s seal on it.

The House is finished with pink Georgia marble and a flat skylight.

West Virginia Boys State was meeting when we visited. Furniture in both chambers is made of West Virginia black walnut.

Both the House and the Senate chambers have chandeliers with 10,000 pieces of rock crystal each.

The entrance to the Senate also has a custom rug.

The Senate chamber features brown Italian marble.

The domed ceiling in the Senate has a small cupola of stained glass.

Gilbert personally designed the furnishings and decor for the Supreme Court room. He used some of the same features when he designed the U.S. Supreme Court. Burgundy draperies are hung between columns of Imperial Danby Vermont marble.

The inscription around the ceiling is “THE TRUE FOUNDATION OF REPUBLICAN GOVERNMENT IS THE REQUIRED ROOT OF EVERY CITIZEN IN HIS PERON AND PROPERTY AND IN THEIR MANAGEMENT: THOMAS JEFFERSON FIRMNESS IN THE RIGHT AS GOD GIVES US TO SEE THE RIGHT: LINCOLN” The 30-foot coffered ceilings were decorated with seventeen different paint treatments.

The law library had a glass floor. Shelves went through openings in the floor.

West Virginia’s state animal is the black bear.

The motto on the state seal means “Mountaineers are always free”.

Geocaching

No doubt our readers have been on pins and needles wondering about West Virginia’s oldest cache. We are pretty sure it’s just where it’s always been, but we decided not to drive over two hours and then rent an all terrain vehicle for a 5 1/2 hour trek on the Hatfield-McCoy Trail. Age has its privileges.

We did check out a wine cellar that was in operation three years before the Civil War broke out. Once the war started the demand for wine ceased and the cellars were never used again.

Published by Jane Appel on June 22, 2022

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