California State Capitol - Sacramento, CA - American Guide Series on Waymarking.com

From California: A Guide to the Golden State, 1939
From the section of Sacramento.
"The domed capitol dominates the city. The legislature meets bien- nially in odd years, holding two sessions broken by a recess. Epic struggles have been waged here, among others the long fight against the railroad stranglehold on the valley, ending in the reforms under Governor Hiram Johnson; and the bitter contest over Japanese immigration, which ended with exclusion.
The CAPITOL BUILDING is on a gently sloping terrace, approached by short flights of stone steps. Begun in 1860, it was dedicated with the laying of the cornerstone May 15, 1861, and was completed 13 years later. The building, designed by F. M. Butler and completed under the supervision of Reuben Clark, G. P. Cummings and A. A. Bennett, is E-shaped, with four stories and a basement. It is of Roman-Classic architecture adorned with Corinthian columns and pilasters. The wing is semicircular on the east facade. In the center of the plan is a rotunda topped with the great gold dome. The ball surmounting the lantern above the dome is 237 feet from the ground. The basement and first story are of California granite, while the remainder of the structure is of brick, painted white. The main west entrance is protected by a pedimented Corinthian portico. The entrance vestibule is finished in white sandstone, trimmed with onyx and marble. On the floor of each of the entrances is the Great Seal of California in colored mosaic. On the walls of the rotunda are 12 murals by Arthur F. Mathews, a California artist, each depicting a historical period in the State. In the center of the rotunda stands a heroic statue, Columbus before Isabella, by Larkin G. Mead, presented to the State by Darius Ogden Mills, a pioneer banker.
On the first floor are the offices of the Governor, the secretary of State, and the State treasurer. The legislative chambers are on the second floor, the Senate to the south and the Assembly to the north. On the third floor are the entrances to the galleries, open to visitors when the legislature is in session. Committee rooms occupy the fourth floor.
There is an excellent view of the city and surrounding country from the second balcony of the dome (take south elevator to fourth floor). No children are allowed in the dome without parent or guardian."

Book: California Page Number(s) of Excerpt: 251 and 253 Year Originally Published: 1939

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