An American Classic: The Republic’s First Statehouse
In this installment of ‘Larger Than Life: Architecture Through the Ages,’ we visit the Virginia State Capitol, America’s first Neoclassical public building.
Since 1788, representatives have met in the Virginia State Capitol, in Richmond, making it the oldest English-speaking representative assembly in the country.
Much American history has been and continues to be made at the Capitol. In December 1791, for instance, the assembly ratified the U.S. Bill of Rights. And between 1861 and 1865, it was the Confederate Capitol, from which Robert E. Lee commanded Virginia forces and where Jefferson Davis was inaugurated as Confederate president.
Set atop Shockoe Hill in Richmond, Virginia, the majestic Capitol was the first public building in the New World to be based on a classical temple, and the first Neoclassical public building in America.
Thomas Jefferson and French architect Charles-Louis Clérisseau designed the building based on Maison Carrée, an ancient Roman temple in Nîmes, in the south of France. In their design, they replaced the ancient temple’s Corinthian columns and pilasters (columns integrated into the wall) with the simpler, but no less elegant, Ionic equivalent, which were far easier for local craftsmen to recreate. Doric pilasters, the oldest classical order, frame the first floor windows. Inside, the Capitol’s architects mirrored the interior plan of colonial Williamsburg’s Capitol.
Construction of the brick and stucco Capitol began in 1785 and was completed in 1798. Between 1904 and 1906, the east and west wings were built for the House of Delegates and the Senate Chamber, respectively. They flank Jefferson’s original building and reflect the original Capitol’s classical style.
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The original Virginia State Capitol pictured in a photochrome postcard by the Detroit Photographic Company, circa 1897–1924. (PD-US)
The grounds of Virginia State Capitol total 12 acres of English-style landscaped gardens. (Keela B/Shutterstock)
The Neoclassical Virginia State Capitol in Richmond reflects the ancient Roman temple of Maison Carrée, Nîmes, in the south of France. (Krzysztof Golik/CC BY-SA 4.0)
Ascend the steps to Virginia State Capitol square, and you’ll be greeted by the state seal depicting the spear-wielding ancient Roman goddess Virtus triumphing over Tyranny and toppling his crown. In 1776, a committee decided that Virtus would appear on the Commonwealth of Virginia seal, along with the Latin phrase “SIC SEMPER TYRANNIS”—“Thus always to tyrants.” (Michelle Quenzel/Shutterstock)
The original pine tree columns of the Capitol’s south portico (entrance porch) are concealed in its stucco Ionic columns. The portico’s classical features also include the coffered (sunken paneled) ceiling and a cornice with dentils (teeth-like repetitive decorative details) that run along the pediment (triangular form). (Taber Andrew Bain /CC BY 2.0 DEED)
On the second floor of the Virginia State Capitol, portraits of state dignitaries line the walls. Sunlight pours into the building via an oculus, a circular opening or window in the apex of the classically inspired dome. (Antony-22/CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED)
French sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon's life-size statue of George Washington greets visitors in the Virginia State Capitol rotunda. Houdon created the statue between 1785 and 1792. His portrait bust of French aristocrat Marquis de Lafayette also resides in the room. Portrait busts of eight Virginia-born presidents peer out of the alcoves. (Skip Plitt-C'ville Photography/CC BY-SA 3.0 DEED)
The House of Representatives chamber in the Virginia State Capitol on Dec. 15, 2014 in Richmond. The elegant chamber harks back to the ancient classical style, including elegant pilasters (flattened columns) leading up to a row of rosettes, cornices, and a coffered (sunken panel) ceiling. (Nagel Photography/Shutterstock)
Lorraine Ferrier writes about fine arts and craftsmanship for The Epoch Times. She focuses on artists and artisans, primarily in North America and Europe, who imbue their works with beauty and traditional values. She's especially interested in giving a voice to the rare and lesser-known arts and crafts, in the hope that we can preserve our traditional art heritage. She lives and writes in a London suburb, in England.
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