Hartford, Connecticut

Our next Capitol visit in the New England states was to Hartford, Connecticut. When I first saw the building I wasn't sure if I was looking at a church or a capitol, which isn't surprising when you find out the designer, Richard M. Upjohn, was also a cathedral architect. This High Victorian Gothic style state house was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1971. The Capitol Dome is twelve-sided and is accented with twelve stained glass windows topped by pointed arches. The gold leaf that covers the dome is 3/1000 of an inch thick. From ground level to the top of the dome is roughly 257 feet. The inside of the building is no less impressive than the outside with beautifully designed staircases, ornate ceiling fixtures, stained glass windows, and decorative corridors winding throughout populated with statuaries of many of the important figures in Connecticut's history. I especially loved the statue called The Genius of Connecticut, the original plaster model of an angel that once stood atop the dome itself. After being damaged in a hurricane in 1938, people feared the angel would fall to the ground, so she was removed and placed in the basement until 1942, at which time she was melted down as part of the war effort to make ammunition and machine parts. This restored plaster model that now makes her home in the north lobby of the Capitol is still quite spectacular. She stands 17 feet 10 inches tall. In her right hand is a wreath of immortalis, or dried flowers to symbolize long life. In her left hand is a wreath of Mountain Laurel, the state flower. On her head she wears white oak leaves for strength from the state tree, and her outstretched wings are to protect the people of Connecticut. Couldn't we all use such benevolent protection in our lives?