Editor Pick
Capitol Building
- September 7, 2000
- Rated 4 of 5 by
Carter from Richmond, Virginia
Inspired by a 1st Century Roman Temple, Thomas Jefferson designed Richmonds' Capitol Building. The site surivived the Civil War when Lincoln ordered Union troops to leave it alone. It is now the oldest working capitol in the Western World.
It was here that Robert E. Lee announced his decision to decline Lincoln's offer of leadership of the U.S. Army and to accept a lesser post with the Confederate Army. A statue of him has been placed on the spot where he stood to deliver the speech.
Another intersting event occurred shortly after the Civil War. When the city government was moving from military to civilian rule, the current Mayor refused to give up his post, although another had been elected. The issue was brought to trial at the Capitol Building. The weight of spectators (everyone who was anyone crowded in to see who would win) collapsed a gallery. This sent many to their death, including the grandson of Patrick Henry.
Beneath a splendid Rotunda (on the floor where the spectators once fell), a statue of George Washington by Jean Antoine Houdon greets all who enter. The statue is the only one in existence for which Washington posed. Surrounding it are busts of the eight U.S. Presidents from Virginia and the Marquis de Lafayette, who aided the Continental Army during the Revoloutionary War.
Free guided tours are available.
From journal A City of History: Museums and Sites