Then and Now: March 2013 | STATE LEGISLATURES MAGAZINE

This Month's Statehouse Photo

This month's photo is of the Capitol in Olympia, Wash., formally known as the Legislative Building. The building houses the chambers for the Legislature and offices for the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state and treasurer. It is one of  several buildings on a campus that also includes the Washington Supreme Court, executive agencies and the governor's mansion.

The building was completed in 1928, nearly 40 years after Washington became a state. The building boasts a dome 278 feet high and has withstood three earthquakes without major damage. The original building cost about $7.4 million. The Capitol was renovated in 2004 at a cost of about $120 million and included placing an array of  144 solar panels on the fifth-floor roof, the most extensive use of solar panelson a capitol building in the united States.

Source: Washington Tourism website, wikipedia

25 Years Ago

Articles from the March 1988 issue of State Legislatures:

THE CHALLENGES AHEAD FOR RURAL AMERICA
“While the crisis may be passing, rural economies around the country are not healthy. States are using a variety of tactics to rejuvenate their small towns and farm communities.”

WHAT’S AHEAD FOR RURAL SCHOOLS?
“While rural residents and some education specialists tout the benefits of small schools, the pressure is still on for consolidation.”

FROM ROCKING CHAIR TO LEGISLATIVE BATTLE
“Nearly half the states have ‘silver-haired legislatures,’ whose elected members meet to identify issues and propose legislative solutions. Many of their proposals eventually become law.”

Did You Know?

North Carolinians thought their capitol was too plain when it was built in 1794, so the General Assembly called for a statue of George Washington to add distinction. Thomas Jefferson desired a sculpture reflecting a Roman influence and recommended Italian artist Antonio Canova. When Washington arrived in Raleigh in 1821, he came dressed as a Roman general. The people adored it. Ten years later, however, Washington and the State House went down in flames. The marble copy that adorns the capitol today was built in 1970 by Romano Vio, using the original plaster model.

—From N.C. Division of Travel and Tourism, Department of Cultural Resources, and the "University of North Carolina and Raleigh: The First 200 Years."