Harrisburg has the most stunning capitol building we’ve seen to date!
They say a picture is worth a thousand words so I should just post pictures below, but can’t help myself, so here are some interesting facts about the building:
- The green dome in the center weighs 26,000 tons.
- The overall square footage of the capitol is 442,560 sq. feet.
- The 4 enormous chandeliers in the House Chamber weigh 3 tons and contain 168 bulbs each. The smaller ones weight 1.5 tons and contain 84 bulbs each. There are approximately 360,000 glass beads used in the panels that adorn the chandeliers.
- The capitol was constructed between 1902 and 1906 and was $13.5 million to construct and furnish. In today’s dollars that would be about $400 million.
- The grand staircase is patterned after Charles Garnier’s 1868 Paris Opera House.
- The main dome is a 1/3 scale representation of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.
- The capito houses the House of Representatives Chamber (Italian Renaissance style), the Senate Chamber (French Renaissance style), and the Supreme and Superior Courts (Greek and Roman themes).
- Tours are free.
- A restoration committee was created in 1982. The restorations they’ve performed over the last 40 years aim to maintain the capitol’s original design and they’ve done a remarkable job!
Underground Railroad 
Statues at Main Entrance
Right Staircase 
3rd floor view
House
Senate
Courthouse 
From the front of the capitol, you look straight down State Street, which is worth a walk. State Street ends at Front Street which has great walking/bike paths along the Susquehanna River. Behind the capitol is a wonderful fountain that should not be missed!
State Street 
Fountain behind the capitol
