Legislative Building - Olympia, Washington
Posted by: 
Hikenutty
N 47° 02.183 W 122° 54.260
10T E 507268 N 5209211
The Legislative Building is the most well known of the Capitol Campus buildings and is the 6th home of the Washington State Legislature. The building was completed in 1928.
Waymark Code: WM1HA2
Location: Washington, United States
Date Posted: 05/10/2007
Views: 148
The following excerpt is from
Washington: A Guide to the Evergreen State from the Olympia "Points of Interest" section.
The LEGISLATIVE BUILDING, Capitol Way (US 99) between 13th and 14th Aves., the sixth home of the legislature, is the central structure in the group [of Capitol Campus buildings]. With its massive white dome, its monumental design, and its placement in relation to the other buildings, it has the general effect of "a broad base from which an adequate dome rises."
The 287-foot dome is the fourth highest in the world and one of the two domes of solid-stone construction in the United States. It is supported by four piers, each 80 feet high and 19 feet square, which in turn rest on huge monolithic concrete mats. Stone setters required 15 months to complete the masonry, the pieces of which ranged from a few pounds to 18 tons in weight. Above the capstone of the dome and accessible from within, a slender stone lantern, which rises 47 feet, affords an unexcelled viewpoint.
The two-tone bronze doors at the main entrance are ornamented with a series of bas-relief panels depicting pioneer life. The interior is marked by the use of several tints and kinds of imported marbles. Throughout the structure lavish detail has been used. The high cost, more than $7,000,000, inclusive of furnishings, was severely criticized by legislators and by their constituents as well.
pp. 207-208
The most well known of the Capitol Campus buildings is the Legislative Building. It was completed in 1928 after 6 years of construction. It features a 287 foot tall dome and more than 173 million pounds of stone, brick, concrete, and steel. Hanging from a 101-foot chain in the center of the rotunda is an ornate 5-ton bronze chandelier containing over 200 light bulbs. The largest chandelier ever created by the artists of the Tiffany Studios in New York, it traveled west by train and was assembled and installed in the rotunda during the final stages of construction. The interior is absolutely beautiful and is open to visitors, so walk around and view the gorgeous marble and statuary.