Wednesday, April 6…continued – Our final stop for the day is the current Illinois State Capitol in Springfield, IL. This building was opened for business in 1877 and has been renovated several times. It was raining all day, hence the drab outside shots.
The Capitol is topped with a 405-foot dome. It is a combination of Renaissance Revival and Second Empire style.
Beautiful stairways.
There are four floors in the Capitol.
Marsha loves taking photos of the ceilings in any building. The Capitol had very colorful ceilings throughout the building and beautiful architecture.
And of course the dome.
Visitors can watch politics in action from balcony level seating and can explore three of the five floors freely. Pictures are permitted except in the Senate and House of Representatives when business is in session.
House of Representatives.
We were able to watch the Senate in action, but the real action was taking place in the Rotunda Hall. There was a fairly rowdy demonstration taking place by mostly school age children and parents in favor of funding for Public Charter Schools.
We stumbled on another demonstration outside where a group was marching on the Capitol in support of Private Gun Ownership. This group had police cars blocking intersections, and TV crews reporting on their progress. An area in front of the Capitol building was reserved so the demonstrators could voice their opinions to their representatives. We were the last truck to get past the blockade.
Being wet and cold, we called it a day and headed back to the State Fairgrounds campground.
NOTE: We remain very impressed with Springfield, IL. The people are very friendly, the city is neat and clean, and the majority of Lincoln sites of interest are free or at a very reasonable cost.
Yes, yes, yes we know that we are very far behind in our posting. Since we arrived in Canton, Ohio, our summer home, last Sunday, we have been so busy visiting with family and setting up the house for summer, blogging has come last. We hope to finish our post from our Springfield, IL, trip very soon, and maybe catch you up on what we are presently doing.
Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y’all back real soon. Have a great day!
Last Century when I attended grade school in a small town in South Central Illinois we traveled to Springfield to see the state capital. I remember the beauty of the building but I remember taking my first elevator ride even more. As a matter of fact, my buddies and I took a number of rides.
ReplyDeleteAs you may have guessed we didn't have any buildings in my home town with elevators. Sure was a lot simpler time in those days.
I've been enjoying your blogging about Springfield. Great job.
What a great place to visit.
ReplyDeleteAnother beautiful state capitol! It looks like it was your lucky day with lots of action at the capitol!!
ReplyDeleteGood to know you made it home safely:) Enjoy your summer!
Sounds like a real interesting place to visit. I thought you were in Canton this was confusing me, lol....
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your family time.
glad you enjoyed Springfield as much as we did. . .
ReplyDeleteEvery time I see a state capital building I wonder why they have to be so elaborate. Couldn't that money be used for better things?
ReplyDeleteBetween your blog and Jan's I know we have really missed out on some really great places. Sure glad you shared lots of pictures with us.
ReplyDeleteBetween your blog and Jan's I know we have really missed out on some really great places. Sure glad you shared lots of pictures with us.
ReplyDeleteSome of the state capital buildings are so beautiful. So much went into planning, designing and putting them together. Gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteI understand the being far behind. I still have pictures I haven't looked at yet of Phoenix's Botanical Garden.
They just don't make buildings like that anymore, do they? Good to hear you're safely back in your summer nest.
ReplyDeleteThanks for reminding me it's OK to be proud of my home state's capitol. I was thrilled to see peaceful demonstrations happening both inside and outside the building. And that someone appeared to be working at a desk in the House of Representatives even though the House was not in session. And that the House and Senate have balconies from which people can watch government in action. In spite of some of Chicago's history, Illinois is a good state.
ReplyDeleteYou're not behind nearly as much as I am :-( Rainy days are good for museums and other "interior-important" sights.
ReplyDelete