We drove into Olympia, WA, to explore a bit. Joani found they have guided tours of the capital building on the hour starting at 11:00. It was early, so we first spent a little time walking around Capitol Lake. Apparently, the lake has problems, since there were signs everywhere letting people know how much it was going to cost to dredge the sediment and restore the lake. There was even an assertion that doing nothing to the lake was going to be expensive - you know that was some twist of logic! Fortunately, it looked like a lake, so it was not a problem for us.
There was quite a complex of buildings surrounding the capital with a lot of well maintained green space and monuments and memorials.
At 287 feet tall, it's the tallest masonry dome in North America .
Six huge bronze doors (each weighing one ton) depict Washington's history.
Our guide was full of facts and history of the building. It seemed like they were on a quest to see how many kinds of marble they could use. Each room had marble from a different part of the world. She also told us where the carpets were made and what they symbolized. She never looked at notes, so she had a fantastic memory. One of the most interesting tidbits she threw out was that when the people first pursued becoming a territory they wanted to name it "Columbia," after the river, but the U.S. Government at the time told them they would be called "Washington." Maybe things haven't changed so much after all.
Alaskan Tokeen Marble is used extensively in the main hall.
I plan to be there when they open the time capsule. Join me?
We were told about the original development of the state seal. They drew up a design and contracted a jeweler to create the official die. The jeweler told them their design was too complex including mountains and sheep and lots more. He drew a circle around the base of an inkwell and then around a silver dollar inside that, wrote "THE SEAL OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON" between the two circles and then put a postage stamp with Washington's picture in the center - "Viola" - the seal was born. The state doesn't seem to get too excited about variations. Throughout the building, we saw several fonts and different pictures of George used.
Seal embedded in the floor in the center of the rotunda.
The reception hall, where inaugural balls and various state parties are held, was covered in Italian "Picture Marble." People thought this looked like Santa Claus.
Boy, it is a stretch, but he is right in the middle. (Once you see his nose, take it from there.)
Being the 42nd state admitted to the union, they had a flag made with forty-two stars. It didn't last long since it was only a few months before the 43rd state was added.
This Tiffany chandelier is 50 feet above the floor and contains 202 lights.
It is 25 feet long and 8 feet wide and it weighs 5 tons.
The chain that supports the massive chandelier is 101 feet long and weighs one and a half tons.
Dreaming of being a state congressman - how long would I last before I tried to strangle someone?
The names of all 39 counties are displayed on the wall around the room at the ceiling.
The guide told us to rub George's nose for luck.
The color difference makes his nose look huge, when it wasn't at all - it's an illusion.
(Not so lucky for George.)
Beautiful detail on the coffered ceiling.
Too bad Sammy was in the car, he would have loved the local wildlife!
These walls made me think of Charleston, SC (my favorite city).
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