Pennsylvania State Capitol - Harrisburg

After loading up on Tony Luke's Philly cheesesteak, we headed out to our next state capitol building in Harrisburg.  This one is easy to photograph from either the front or the back, and very attractive from both sides.  There is just a little scaffolding in the front at the moment.




We arrived in plenty of time to take the self-guided tour.  This building is quite a contrast to the Delaware building.  Where Delaware's was modest, this one is glossy, gilded and ornate.

The rotunda probably photographs best from the second floor balcony.


As was the case when we visited the Wisconsin capitol, it is worth taking a close look at the paintings beneath the dome:
The Pennsylvania Capitol's Wikipedia page seems a good source for information about these paintings and medallions. But if you "click to enlarge" the pictures below you will see a caption under each of the paintings.

It's actually possible to capture almost all of that in a single picture from the rotunda floor.


The Senate and House chambers go even farther with the gilt and glitter.


The house chamber has seats for a remarkable 203 members.  There are stained glass windows and that mural at the front of the house chamber, named the Apotheosis of Pennsylvania, depicts 28 famous Pennsylvanians.


This building definitely goes into the "top five" state capitols.

The tile floor of the rotunda shows (according to Wikipedia) 254 scenes, artifacts, birds ...
The scenes were hand-crafted at the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works.
Linda captured these two for us.