RALEIGH - How many architects did it take to design the State Capitol? How did workers maneuver 2-ton stone blocks into downtown Raleigh? Why does the Senate Chamber look like a Greek temple?
Find out the answers to these questions and more at an “Artisans & Architecture” free family event at the State Capitol on Saturday, Aug. 9. Bring the kids down to the Capitol from 1-3 p.m. for the drop-in program “An Afternoon at the Capitol: Artisans & Architecture” to find out about building our capitol before machines were invented to do the heavy lifting. Come learn about cantilevers (and try to build one) along with other architectural tools and cast a reproduction of the Capitol’s trademark ornamental plaster to take home.
A curator’s tour of the site’s newest exhibit, “The Pride and Ornament of the State: Building the North Carolina State Capitol”, also will be offered at 1 and 3 p.m. All activities are free and open to the public.
This program kicks off the opening of the “Pride and Ornament” exhibit, on display from Aug.8-Oct.13. The exhibit explains the construction process while showcasing the tools and stories of the individual workers who lent their talents to creating North Carolina’s pride and ornament, the State Capitol.
In 1840, after seven long years of construction, North Carolinians’ hearts swelled with pride at the opening of the magnificent State Capitol. To help build this temple of democracy, the state hired the finest architects, stonecutters, plasterers and craftsmen of the day at a total cost of $532,682.34, then more than three times the yearly general income of the state and more than 10 times the original appropriation. Today the N.C. State Capitol is considered one of the nation’s finest and best preserved examples of 19th-century craftsmanship.
A National Historic Landmark, the N.C. State Capitol features the Greek Revival style of architecture, a domed rotunda, and state senate and house chambers meticulously restored to their 1840 appearance. Until 1888, its granite walls housed all of state government and the legislature met here until 1961. Today, the governor and his staff still occupy offices in the Capitol.
The State Capitol’s mission is to preserve and interpret the architecture, history, and functions of the 1840 Capitol building and Union Square where it is located. In downtown Raleigh, the State Capitol is bounded by Edenton, Salisbury, Morgan and Wilmington streets. Free parking is available in state lots near the Capitol. For more information call 919-733-4994 or go to www.nchistoricsites.org/capitol
Administered by the Division of State Historic Sites, the State Capitol is part of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, a state agency dedicated to the promotion and protection of North Carolina’s arts, history and culture. Join the Cultural Resources 2008 theme observance of “Telling Our Stories.” For more information, visit www.ncculture.com.