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Tag: Governor Roland Hartley

Archives Spotlight: The Legislative Building turns 90

Archives Spotlight: The Legislative Building turns 90

In the quiet of the post-Legislative session interim period, the 90th anniversary of the Washington Capitol‘s opening to the public passed without a formal observance on March 28. Perhaps that was fitting. The Legislative Building went without a grand opening party back in 1928 because of a political dispute over the perceived largesse of building and furnishing a $7 million government building. The Legislative Building was constructed over much of the 1920s. Architects Walter Wilder and Harry White, whose plan…

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Didyaknow…

Didyaknow…

… Our capitol dome nearly had a bell on top rather than a lantern?  That’s right, in 1926 the State Capitol Committee, chaired by Governor Roland Hartley, decided against a bell in the dome and told architects Wilder and White to “hurry your work.”  A lantern took its place and today, the lantern is lit from energy from the sun.  Solar panels on the 5th floor roof collect enough energy even on cloudy days to keep the lantern illuminated.