Virginia+State+Capitol+Building

=The Virginia State Capitol=

How It Began:
Since 1619, Virginia held legislative meetings with its General Assembly in a Jamestown church, and for 161 years they continued to meet in various places centered around their capital of Richmond. It wasn't until 1780 that the Virginia Legislature voted on settling their official meeting place to Richmond and build a home for the legislatures to gather. In 1785, the State chose Thomas Jefferson to design the structure that would be the permanent site of the Capitol. Jefferson was currently working in France as an American ambassador and decided to seek the assistance of an idol of his - Charles-Louis Clé risseau. Although a majority of their designs were Jefferson's work, it was an immediate hit, and so the construction began eagerly that August.

It was completed in 1788 and has been used constantly throughout history. Used greatly during the Civil War, it was the home of the General Assembly and the Confederate Conference to discuss war strategies, and even housed the Union as they discussed military occupation. During the fire that struck Richmond in 1865, the Capitol Building was used as a safe house for evacuees who had fled the fire that devoured most of the city. Unknown at the time, the fire weakened the building's foundation, and in 1870, the floor of the balcony and the gallery gave way and fell during a Supreme Court hearing, killing 62 people and injuring 250 others. The Capitol was almost demolished after the incident, but members of the Legislature voted in the favor of keeping it. It went through major renovations during the early 1900s, when two wings and front steps were added to the building.



**Inspiration:** When Jefferson first discovered he had been chosen to draw up the designs for the Capitol, he marveled at the chance to "introduce the State an example of architecture, in the classical style of antiquity." He had always viewed the Romans highly in his fields of work, from philosophy to natural law to architecture. Detesting the English style of architecture, he found comfort in Europe when exposed to Neo-Classicism at its finest. Jefferson and Clé risseau both agreed on a Neo-Classical structure for the Capitol building, and eventually settled on modeling it after the Maison Carré e located in Nimes, a city in the southern part of France. The Maison Carré e was believed to have been built around 16 B.C as a dedication to Lucius and Gaius Caesar. The Virginia State Capitol was one of the first buildings designed with a classical temple in mind.

Critique:
The Virginia State Capitol building captures the image of the Maison Carré e quite well, establishing the Roman temple in its shadow profoundly. You can tell its classical form immediately by its columns and its triangular pediment, although true fans of the classical architecture can tell its Roman physique by the way its columns are built into the walls and how its pediment is inset. It also has a porch as an entry way for the building. But, the Capitol does not match precisely with the Roman temple in Nimes, France. Instead of following its Corinthian pillars, Jefferson chose to go with the Ionic style, perhaps to not be quite as ornate but to still show the elegance that the building contained. The Ionic style has always been preferred for Neo-Classical era, although the flutes in the columns itself have been tossed out to make room for a more simplistic idea, which does bring in that modern touch. It also contains the same number of pillars that its Roman counterpart has as well. The original building also did not have the front steps that the Maison Carré e has at its feet, although it is added later after the major renovation in 1905. Its frieze does not have moldings or sculptures, but the high amount of cornices make up for the lack of artistic flare.

Even today, the architecture introduced by those during the Greek and Roman era are seen as flawless works of art. Both visually and conceptually, they contain a magnitude of perfection that cannot be matched and leave a sense of power in its foundation. It is no surprise that so many great buildings like the Capitol building in Richmond, Virginia are modeled after these great temples. It's important to keep the history of a world in mind when attempting to establish a nation. Jefferson and Clé rissea remembered this fondly as they drew up the plans for the threshold whose importance would remain for centuries to come.

Citations:
Summerson, John. "Architecture in Britain, 1530 to 1830." // Google Books //. Web. 03 Apr. 2011. .

Official Tourism Website of the Commonwealth of Virginia. "Virginia State Capitol - Virginia Is For Lovers." // Virginia Is For Lovers - Vacation in Virginia - Beaches, Mountains, History and More //. 22 Aug. 2007. Web. 03 Apr. 2011. .

"Capitol Timeline." // Virginiacapitol.gov -- About the Capitol //. 2006. Web. 03 Apr. 2011. .

Greenough, Mark K. "The Virginia State Capitol During the Civil War." __ Encyclopedia Virginia. __ Ed. Brendan Wolfe. 3 Apr. 2011. Virginia Foundation for the Humanities. 1 Apr. 2011. .

"Virginia State Capitol Timeline." // Google //. Web. 03 Apr. 2011. <http://www.google.com/#q=virginia state capitol history&hl=en&prmd=ivns&tbs=tl:1&tbo=u&ei=JPiYTY2PG6OE0QGI2anvCw&sa=X&oi=timeline_result&ct=title&resnum=11&sqi=2&ved=0CHIQ5wIwCg&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=71a4fa0fe339f87d>.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 32px;">Demand Media 2010. "Virginia State Capitol: A Guide To The Architecture And History."// Essortment Articles: Free Online Articles on Health, Science, Education & More... //Web. 03 Apr. 2011. <http://www.essortment.com/virginia-state-capitol-guide-architecture-history-20939.html>.

<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,'Arial Unicode MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 19px;">"Maison-Carrée." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica, <span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,'Arial Unicode MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 19px;">2011. Web. 03 Apr. 2011. <__**<span style="color: #004d99; font-family: Arial,'Arial Unicode MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; white-space: nowrap;">[] **__>.

Pictures:
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 32px;">Jona Lendering. "Nemausus (Nîmes)." // Livius. Articles on Ancient History //. 9 Aug. 2008. Web. 03 Apr. 2011. <http://www.livius.org/ne-nn/nimes/nimes2.html>.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 32px;">Traditional Fine Arts Organization. "Virginia State Capitol Art Collection." // Traditional Fine Arts Organization //. Web. 03 Apr. 2011. <http://www.tfaoi.com/aa/1aa/1aa333.htm>.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 32px;">Wikipedia. "Virginia State Capitol | Ask.com Encyclopedia." // Ask.com - What's Your Question? // 23 Mar. 2011. Web. 03 Apr. 2011. <http://www.ask.com/wiki/Virginia_State_Capitol>.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 32px;">"Richmond, Virginia - Then and Now, Page 6." // RootsWeb: Freepages //. Web. 03 Apr. 2011. <http://freepages.history.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~kayceelv/RichmondThenandNow/Page 6.html>.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 32px;">Dickinson, Bill. "Virginia State Capitol Building | Flickr - Photo Sharing!" // Welcome to Flickr - Photo Sharing //. 7 Mar. 2009. Web. 03 Apr. 2011. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/skynoir/3339125073/>.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 32px;">"Richmond: A Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary." // U.S. National Park Service - Experience Your America //. Web. 03 Apr. 2011. <http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/richmond/VirginiaStateCapitol.html>.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 32px;">Lybrock, Albert. "Front Elevation." //Library of Virginia//. Web. 03 Apr. 2011. <http://www.lva.virginia.gov/exhibits/capitol/beyond/frontelev.htm>.