Stepping foot in the North Carolina State Capitol is like entering a whole other era as it is so well preserved with the originality firmly entact. It was completed in the year 1840 with a Greek Revival style of architecture. The Capitol housed the General Assembly until 1963 which they moved into the Legislative Building, but the office of the Governor and Secretary of State have remained. The Capitol proudly holds the title of Raleigh Historic Landmark and sits in the center of Capitol Square. If you desire to visit you can join the 100,000 visitors that come each year. You can be part of public tours at designated times or take a self-guided tour which is especially nice if you like to take your time with photographs and observing.
Capitol tour: http://nchistoricsites.org/capitol/STAT_CAP/Tour.htm
The Rotunda is a key focal point of the Capitol. Upon entering, you will see the 1970 copy of the George Washington statue by Antonio Canova. As you can see, my visit took place during Christmas which is one of the prettiest times to visit in my opinion. There are several plaques around the Rotunda giving tribute to several important people and events from North Carolina’s history.
The Rotunda has a beautiful ceiling at the top of this three story building.
The second floor contains the House of Representatives Chamber and Senate Chamber which comerced there until 1961 when it then moved to the North Carolina State Legislative Building. Both are a tribute to the important decisions made for North Carolina state.
The third floor was my favorite. This is where the State Library Room was located from 1840 until 1888. It has a staircase that leads to an upper level lined with shelves after shelves of books. The collection grew from 2,000 volumes to almost 40,000! It was in 1888 that the overflowing library had to be moved to a larger building that could contain it. Now what remains is a showcase of what it looked like back in the day. The main collection is now located in the Archives and History/State Library building on Jones Street. History comes alive when you get to visit destinations that are preserved in a way that is memorable for all.
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