Vermont Capitol - Montpelier, VT
Posted by: 
silverquill
N 44° 15.742 W 072° 34.837
18T E 693116 N 4903860
The Vermont State House is an exquisite example of Greek Revival architecture located, in Montpelier -- the smallest of the 50 U.S. capital cities.
Waymark Code: WM1DDE
Location: Vermont, United States
Date Posted: 04/11/2007
Views: 208
By 1805 the Montpelier had a population of 1200. In that year the State Legislature sought a permanent home. Montpelier was selected because of its central location, and due to support from local residents who provided land and money. A humble statehouse was constructed on State Street. This first legislative home was replaced in 1836 by a statehouse designed by Ammi B. Young, largely at the community's expense. This granite structure was gutted by fire in 1857. The present statehouse, designed by Thomas Silloway, was constructed on the same site in 1859.
he State House is surmounted by a gold dome and statue of Agriculture. The dome is 57 feet high and is made of wood sheathed in copper and covered with 23.7, carat gold leaf, as pure as can be obtained. The original statue of Agriculture atop the dome was created by Brattleboro sculptor Larkin Mead, but in 1938 the wooden statue had rotted and was in danger of toppling off the dome. With the help of his janitorial staff, 87-year-old Sergeant-at-Arms Dwight Dwinell carved a 14-foot replacement mounted on a six-foot pedestal.
Type of Capitol: State, Province, Canton, or Other Primary Division of a Nation
Address:
115 State St.
Montpelier, VT United States
05633
Dates of Construction: 1859
Major Renovations: 1857 after a major fire and again in the 1990's.
Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:00am to 4:00pm
Capitol Web Site: [Web Link]
Historical Monuments/Memorials:
Flanking the State House on the lawn are two Spanish naval guns that were captured from a Spanish cruiser at the Battle of Manila Bay in 1898 during the Spanish-American War.
The only remaining portion of the earlier Greek Revival statehouse of the 1830’s is the front portico upon which stands a statue of Ethan Allen. In 1941 Larkin Mead’s original marble sculpture of the fabled leader of the Green Mountain Boys was replaced with this replica due to deterioration from exposure to weather.
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