Massachusetts State House
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Massachusetts Statehouse | |
|---|---|
| (U.S. National Historic Landmark) | |
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| Location: | Boston, Massachusetts |
| Coordinates: | |
| Built/Founded: | 1787 |
| Architect: | Charles Bulfinch |
| Architectural style(s): | Federal |
| Added to NRHP: | October 15, 1966 |
| Reference #: | 66000771 [1] |
| Governing body: | State |
The Massachusetts State House is the state capitol of Massachusetts. Located in the state capital of Boston in the Beacon Hill neighborhood, the building houses the Massachusetts General Court (state legislature) and the offices of the governor of Massachusetts.
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[edit] Description
The building sits on 6.7 acres (27,000 m²) of land on top of Beacon Hill in Boston. It is the oldest remaining building in that location.
The original wood dome, which leaked, was covered with copper in 1802. It was first painted gray and then light yellow before being gilded with gold leaf in 1874. The dome is topped with a pine cone representing the state of Maine, which was a district of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts when the Bulfinch section of the building was completed.
In front of the building is an equestrian statue of General Joseph Hooker. Other statues in front of the building include Daniel Webster, educator Horace Mann, and former US President John F. Kennedy. The statues of Anne Hutchinson and Mary Dyer are located on the lawns below the east and west wings.
The original red-brick Bulfinch building contains the Governor's offices (on the west end) with the Massachusetts Senate occupying the former House of Representatives Chamber under the dome. The Massachusetts House of Representatives occupies a chamber on the west side of the Brigham addition. Hanging over this chamber is the Sacred Cod, which was given to the House of Representatives in 1784 by a Boston merchant. The Sacred Cod symbolizes the importance of the fishing industry to the early Massachusetts economy.
A staircase in front of the Bulfinch building leads from Beacon Street to Doric Hall inside the building. The large main doors inside Doric Hall are only opened on two occasions:
- When the President of the United States or foreign head of state visits.
- When the Governor exits the building on his last day in office. This tradition is known as the Long Walk and begins when the Governor, alone, exits the Executive Chamber, walks down to the 2nd floor, through Doric Hall and out the main doors. He then descends the staircase, crosses the street and enters Boston Common, symbolically rejoining the people of Massachusetts as a private citizen. The tradition has since been broken, when on January 4, 2007, Deval Patrick chose to be sworn in on the staircase and give his inaugural address there, forcing outgoing Governor Mitt Romney to take the Long Walk the day before his last in office.
[edit] In film
The producers of the movie Amistad used several interior shots of the State House. One scene included the House of Representatives Chamber, which was briefly seen as the US House of Representatives Chamber.
The State House is featured prominently in Martin Scorsese's 2006 film The Departed. In the last shot of the film, a rat crawls along a balcony railing with the dome in the background.
[edit] References
- ^ National Register Information System. National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service (2006-03-15).
- Cupolas of Capitalism - State Capitol Building Histories (L-ME) (1998-2005). Cupola.com. May 17, 2005.
- The Evolution of the State House (2005). Interactive State House. Mass.gov . May 17, 2005.
[edit] External links
- A Tour of the Massachusetts State House
- Boston National Historical Park Official Website
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps or Yahoo! Maps
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
- Satellite image from Google Maps or Microsoft Virtual Earth
Categories: National Historic Landmarks of the United States | 1798 architecture | Buildings and structures in Massachusetts | Freedom Trail | Government of Massachusetts | State capitols in the United States | American architecture | Georgian architecture | Registered Historic Places in Massachusetts
