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Hi Everyone,
The other day, thanks to darling George, who leaves a lot of lovely comments, I joined a one-hour tour of the Massachusetts State House. It is a five-minute walk from where I’m currently living– mostly uphill.
This was not the first visit to the state house, the capitol building of Massachusetts. Cale and I took a self-tour last March.
Today, I’m sharing photos from both visits and some interesting things I learned.
As an aside, I had to wait patiently to get this shot while a dozen tourists each had a solo pic taken of themselves in front of the state house. In August, you rarely hear anyone speaking English in Boston.
Laurel, what do you mean by a tragedy in the making? Are you saying the Massachusetts State House is unsafe?
Well, we’ll be getting to that. I’ll let you be the judge.
The first trip with Cale in March was a self-guided tour. You go through security and can go through whatever door is open. And, we did!
This past Wednesday’s tour was through the ICAA, the New England Chapter of the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art. And, while we saw a good portion of the state house, the tour led by John Hobson, Senior Project Manager (Retired) from Colantonio Inc., focused primarily on the MA State House Chamber renovation that was finished in 2018. We also looked at some other areas of the building they renovated.
Both visits began with a walk past the dashing General Hooker on a horse into the eponymous Hooker entrance.
Why are y’all giggling?
Is that where the hookers go into the Massachusetts State House, Laurel? teehee
Oh, I see… I’ve got a bunch of third-graders reading the blog today. ;] Well, even though it is well-known that the handsome General Hooker was quite the lady’s man, it is believed the term “hooker” had a different origin.
But, before we went in, we had a short orientation with John Hobson, our guide. As stated earlier, he was the senior project manager on a sorely needed renovation. The last major reno happened in the 19th century!
Although, the Beaux-Arts Hooker entrance in a newer limestone-clad wing was constructed in the early 20th century.
The original Brick building with the golden dome was designed by Charles Bullfinch, THE premier architect in Boston, in the late 18th century when the new state house was built.
It was built because they had outgrown the old state house. You can see it here. The old state house, built in 1717, is the oldest public building in Boston.
Boston-view-1841-Havell via Wikimedia.
The Mass State House was completed in 1798, and this artist’s depiction is before they began filling in the back bay.
Before we enter the Senate chamber tour and surrounding areas, I’d like to show you some other spaces not on the tour.
Massachusetts State House Atrium
John Hancock tribute -Massachusetts State House
Greek Key motifs and other neoclassical details are throughout the MA State House.
The State Library of Massachusetts.
While we did visit the library briefly, on the guided tour, we did not go up on the balcony. This image is from last March.
You might think the color scheme is unusually bright. However, some of you may recall from my trip to the Otis House in the fall of 2022 that the Bostonians of the late 18th c. adored vivid color schemes. That was also a Charles Bullfinch design.
Now, that’s a rosette!
A neoclassical frieze and cornice in the State Library of Massachusetts.
A map of Boston in 1877. You can see the Mass State House in the middle with the gold dome. The large patch of lawn is Boston Common, where the Puritans frequently hanged folks for heinous crimes, such as being unable to recite the Lord’s Prayer.
However, that mostly happened to those who had the misfortune to be born with two X chromosomes.
I learned about that on another tour last fall.
The public garden is to the right of Boston Common, and then you can barely make out a tiny row of trees. My building broke ground in 1879 and would be on the far right, just a bit above the Charles River.
Above the breathtaking rotunda.
This is not the gold dome. The dome is beneath the senate chambers, which have the gold dome.
So many gorgeous images it isn’t easy to decide, so a little closer view is coming up.
I don’t know if you can read that sign, but those are the pilgrims on the Mayflower!
We will be coming into this space, which I’ve dubbed “the mausoleum.”
However, we need to start the tour!
We will return to the mausoleum shortly, where you will see something that has rocked me to my core.
About 18 of us were on the tour, including our guide and host from the ICAA and state house representative. We went up in a couple of groups by elevator to the MA State Senate Chamber.
And here we are… in the newly refurbished, state-of-the-art senate chamber.
Music Time!
Okay, my boys forced-fed my alternative rock. And you know what? I really like some of it. Every time I see this room, I am instantly reminded of —
Time is Running Out, featuring legendary frontman Matt Bellamy and his band, Muse.
Oh, you thought I was going to play Mozart? Yes, usually, but not today.
Rumor has it the song, which came out around 2007, was based on the Massachusetts State House Senators. ;]
After hours… of course. ;] ;]
Enjoy!!!
Oh, those naughty senators.
Well, you haven’t seen anything yet.
The chandelier weighs 1200 pounds. They wait until several of the bulbs are burned out to change them. It’s a nerve-wracking production, we were told.
Yes, that’s a codfish. The House of state representatives had one in their chamber, and the senators were jealous, so they were also given a cod. Sounds fishy to me. Oh well…
Everything in the room was pulled apart. John said there were 50 coats of paint on everything, and all of it was stripped.
See the rosette openings where the lights are? That is part of the HVAC system in the openings where the lights are not. How clever is that!
Carefully camouflaged in the darker portions of the ribs are small dots painted to match. They house the automatic sprinkler system in case things get too heated in the chamber. ;]
Above, John is sharing much about this gorgeous room. That vent is the HVAC intake.
He didn’t know the paint colors, so I pulled up the Benjamin Moore historical color chart on my phone.
The color was a spot-on match to Benjamin Moore Hepplewhite Ivory hc-36.
Well, Time IS running out for today.
Wait, Laurel, you forgot to tell us about what has rocked you to your core.
No, I haven’t forgotten. ;] But, you will have to wait because my fingers are bleeding now. ;]
However, this guy knows. That’s General William Francis Bartlett (1840-1876). He has witnessed unspeakable atrocities that could’ve been prevented.
You will find out soon…
But, here’s a clue.
Monday evening, I will share my discoveries with you…
Be forewarned. Some of you who suffer from vertigo might need to take something before reading. And, no. I’m not joking.
If it’s so awful, Laurel, why are you smiling?
I’m smiling because who wants to look at someone frowning? Besides, smiling hides some of the effects of aging. lol
To be continued…
xo,
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