Following the dedication of the Capitol on October 4, 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt exclaimed, "It is the handsomest building I ever saw." Today, the Capitol inspires Pennsylvanians and visitors as it did previous generations.
The Capitol and the East Wing cover 5.5 acres. The Capitol was designed in 1906 to resemble the nation's capitol, which was completed 35 years earlier. At the turn of the century Pennsylvania had 6.3 million people, and the new Capitol housed virtually its entire state government.
Just as the 1729 Assembly insisted Independence Hall be the tallest building in the colony, the lawmakers of 1900 wanted their Capitol for the 20th Century to be the tallest structure between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. In an era of rapid industrialization, urban dislocation, and the arrival of thousands of immigrants, the 272-foot high Capitol was the vision of a free, proud and secure Commonwealth. The Capitol remained the tallest midstate building for 80 years.
The Capitol is the workshop of Pennsylvania government. In the open legislative chambers, committee rooms, and offices, the needs and aspirations of Pennsylvanians are voiced, debated and acted upon.
As many as 40,000 formal proposals, citations, resolutions, bills and amendments are considered or reviewed during any 23-month session. Within the corridors, chambers, and meeting rooms, the lawmakers and the public work together to achieve their common goals.
Amidst ornate splendor, the process of self-government is conducted. Visitors, constituents, and students learn that the process of government is complex, exciting, and demanding, yet the task has continued session after session for more than three centuries.
The mission of those sent to this Capitol has not changed since William Penn's instructions to the General Assembly in 1700: "You, Friends, are the people's choice... You'll see what laws are fit to be left out and what to be made, and you with me, are to prepare and propose them."
This lunette is one of four found in the Capitol Rotunda. Painted by Edwin Austin Abbey, it suggests that Pennsylvania brings light to the world in two senses: physically through its oil derricks, seen in the background, and spiritually through the message of its founder.