Capitol District in Harrisburg in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Present State Capitol Building

Photographed by William Pfingsten, March 21, 2008

1. Present State Capitol Building Marker

Inscription. Upon the destruction of the Old Capitol Building in 1897, the sense of loss was quickly replaced by a new spirit of community advancement for which the construction of a new Capitol Building would act as catalyst. In order to continue the operations of state government, a plain and unadorned interim Capitol, designed by Henry Ives Cobb, was hastily erected on a "shoe-string" budget on the same site as the old. Public criticism of this building resulted in the establishment of the Capitol Building Commission in 1901, charged to methodically plan for the expansion and elaboration of Cobb's interim structure that would be cloaked within the walls of the new building. Philadelphia architect Joseph Miller Huston won the design competition. His intent was to design a Capitol that applied the artistic expression of the Italian Renaissance to a new Renaissance in America. With the 272 foot high dome modeled after that of Michelangelo's St. Peter's in Rome, and the main stairway in the rotunda after the Grand Opera House in Paris, a building emerged that was magnificent...a "Palace of Art," rich with marble, gold, tile, murals and

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sculpture produced by such internationally prominent artists, sculptures and artisans as Abbey, Barnard, Oakley, Van Ingen and Mercer. Heralded by President Theodore Roosevelt upon its dedication on October 4, 1905 as "the handsomeness building I ever saw," the Capitol's grandeur, which may endlessly be described, unleashed an unparalleled movement of civic improvement and pride in Harrisburg that would build the foundations of the great City that we know today.
Left Photo
The unadorned interim Capitol Building in 1901.
Right Photo
1908 Postcard View of the Present State Capitol Building

Erected by The Harrisburg History Project Commissioned by Mayor Stephen R. Reed.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Industry & Commerce. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #26 Theodore Roosevelt, and the Pennsylvania, The Harrisburg History Project series lists. A significant historical month for this entry is October 1968.

Location. 40° 15.835′ N, 76° 53.1′ W. Marker is in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in Dauphin County. It is in the Capitol District. It is at the intersection

Pennsylvania State Capitol Building. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by William Pfingsten, March 21, 2008

2. Pennsylvania State Capitol Building.

Marker can be seen in the red brick area at the bottom of the photograph.

of State Street and Third Street, on the left when traveling east on State Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 420 N 3rd St, Harrisburg PA 17101, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in South-Central Pennsylvania, specifically in Pennsylvania Dutch Country,

and in the Susquehanna Valley.

It is also in the American Northeast

and in the Mid-Atlantic.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy

and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Old Capitol Building (here, next to this marker); Public Sector Unionism (a few steps from this marker); Grace United Methodist Church (within shouting distance of this marker); The Nature Conservancy (within shouting distance of this marker); Grace Methodist Church (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Pennsylvania State Capitol Building (about 300 feet away); Saint Patrick's Cathedral

Present State Capitol Building, west facade image. Click for full size.

Photographed by John K. Robinson, April 6, 2011

3. Present State Capitol Building, west facade

(about 300 feet away); State Capitol (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Harrisburg.

An interior view of the Capitol Building Dome image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bradley Owen, July 31, 2018

4. An interior view of the Capitol Building Dome

Credits. This page was last revised on August 22, 2020. It was originally submitted on March 28, 2008, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland. This page has been viewed 1,869 times since then and 21 times this year. Last updated on August 15, 2020, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 28, 2008, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland. 3. submitted on April 9, 2011, by John K. Robinson of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. 4. submitted on August 15, 2020, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia.