From Auburn, we moved to Albany, the New York State Capital. We missed the last guided tour of the building at 3:00 p.m., but the building stays open for self-guided tours until 7:00. This late hour is a rare treat!
The capitol building is quite a monument. It photographs well from the front, back or side. Read the Wikipedia article to get an interesting picture of the difficulties encountered during and after the 32 years of construction ending in 1899. Over budget, unable to support the planned dome and with pieces falling as the building moved, it sounds like a first class disaster.
We climbed the stairs in one corner, then walked the hallway past the senate gallery. A large painting of Niagara Falls is near the gallery.
There is a bit of a Moorish influence in the corner stairwells. The stained glass in the ceiling is what I used at the top of this post.
A major feature is a grand naturally lighted stairway centered between the other stairs.
Sandstone forms many of the artistic creations.
A Hall of Governors hold portraits of the state's former chief executives. That's governor Seward of Auburn at the end of the hall.
It's a prominent line-up of governors including four presidents and other leaders. Here are both Roosevelts and Nelson Rockerfeller.
Back outside, on one side of the Capitol, the massive Empire State Plaza encompasses almost a hundred acres of additional grounds with administrative office buildings. You can pick up the story of more construction problems with that effort here. On the opposite side, there is the large Department of Education building.
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