Page 54 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide 2017 - Boston

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q Massachusetts State House

the cornerstone of the Massachusetts state
House was laid on July 4, 1795, by samuel adams
and Paul revere. Completed on January 11, 1798,
the Charles bulfinch-designed center of state
government served as a model for the U.s.
Capitol building in Washington and as an
inspiration for many of the state capitols around The State House, from Boston Common
the country. Later additions were made, but
the original building remains the archetype
of american government buildings. Its
dome, sheathed in copper and gold, serves
as the zero mile marker for Massachusetts,
making it, as oliver Wendell Holmes (see
p47) remarked, “the hub of the universe.”

. House of Representatives
This elegant oval chamber was built for the
House of Representatives in 1895. The Sacred
Cod, which now hangs over the gallery, came
to the State House when it first opened in
1798, and it has since hung over any place
where the representatives have met.

KEY
1 The wings of the State windows. The win dows illustrate
House, thought by many to sit the many varied state seals of
incongruously with the rest of Massachusetts: from its time as
the structure, were added in 1917. a colony through to modern
statehood.
2 The Great Hall is the latest
addition to the State House. Built 4 Administrative offices can
be found on the upper floors of
in 1990, it is lined with marble and the building.
topped by a glass dome, and is
used for state functions. 5 The dome was sheathed in
copper in 1802 to prevent water
3 The main staircase is decorated leakage, and, in 1872, gilded
with beautiful stained-glass in 23-carat gold.

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