Capitol of WV

WV Capitol

A while back we took a visit to the WV Capitol grounds and were able to tour and take pictures of the area (and play a little soccer on the grounds).  The Capitol building is imposing at 535,000 square feet but sits upon a magnificient grounds of proportional size.  The exterior is made of Indiana limestone and the majority of the interior is marble.  What we all noticed is how beautiful the golden dome is.  It turns out to be covered in 3 inch squares of gold leaf over copper and lead.

WV Capitol

WV Capitol

It’s amazing!  In its current form and location, the capitol was built between 1924 and 1932 at a cost of $10 million.  Inside, there are numerous offices but also several displays taken from the exhibits in the nearby WV Cultural Center.  We saw displays on shoes and walking sticks (much more interesting than it sounds) and talked to the folks stuck working on a Saturday when we visited.  It’s really an interesting place to walk through, especially on weekends when it is not busy. We saw tons of beautiful bits of artwork formed into the building as well as incredible craftsmanship around the rotunda area.

Bell at WV Capitol

Some folks say it is overdone and wasteful but I think it beautifully illustrates that good government should be beautiful and strong, neither extravagant nor cut to the bone.  Meh, I won’t get all political here, but I think the Capitol building is a beautiful symbol of WV!