Highlights of the New York State Capitol

Completed in 1885 and designed by Leopold Eidlitz, it was once hailed as “a great monumental work believed to be without parallel on the face of the globe.” In 1946, the skylight and lower laylight were removed to accommodate more office space. During the 2012 restoration of the Senate Staircase, the skylight and laylight were reconstructed. The completion of the Senate Staircase restoration marks the end of the overall Capitol roof restoration project.

The Flag Room is home to the State’s extensive collection of battle flags. The flags date from the War of 1812 to the Gulf War. An extensive restoration of the flags was begun by the New York State Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and the Division of Military and Naval Affairs. Much of their efforts are on display in this room. In 2011 the Flag Room expanded to include artifacts from NYS military history. The space is also being used for military exhibits.

Completed in 1879 and designed by Leopold Eidlitz, it was the first of the Capitol’s three major interior staircases to be used. The staircase is built of sandstone and granite, and is Moorish and Gothic in style. In 1949, the skylight was removed. In 2011, the skylight and lower laylight were restored, illuminating the staircase in natural light as originally intended. The new laylight includes images of NYS animals and plants including turkeys, bats, whales, apples, sunflowers and grapes.

The Hall of New York features artists inspired by the beauty and majesty of New York State’s natural landscape. Some of the artists featured were prominent in the artistic community while others were virtually unknown outside of their home towns. The paintings are divided by New York State region and together weave an intricate tapestry of New York State’s diverse geography.

The Governor’s Reception Room was originally designed to be open space, part of a domed tower that was never built. Later plans called for a forty-foot-high rotunda with ceiling murals chronicling important events in New York State military history. Though the murals were painted and installed by the distinguished artist William de Leftwich Dodge, the floor was never removed, allowing for an unusual perspective. This area was rehabilitated from 1995 to 1997.

The Hall of Governors reopened to the public in 2011. It is a portrait gallery that includes fifty-three of the fifty-seven governors (no likeness has been found of Governor Nathanial Pitcher). Underneath each governor is a brief biography and on the walls is a timeline, highlighting important milestones in New York history. Included in the portraits are the four New York State governors who moved on to the Presidency: Martin Van Buren, Grover Cleveland, Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin D. Roosevelt.

The Executive Chamber is the governor’s formal office. Since it was completed in 1881, it has been used by a succession of governors, including Grover Cleveland, Theodore Roosevelt, Charles Evans Hughes, Al Smith, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Thomas Dewey and Nelson Rockefeller. It was designed by the renowned architect H.H. Richardson and restored in 1984-1985.

The Great Western Staircase, the most elaborate of the three interior staircases, was completed in 1897. It is a celebration of the stonecarvers’ art and includes portraits of many famous New Yorkers. The staircase is frequently referred to as the Million Dollar Staircase. The Great Western Staircase skylight provides natural light for the staircase. It consists of a greenhouse-like structure on the Capitol roof and a lower laylight or diffuser. It was reopened in 2002 after a major restoration. Shortly thereafter, an extensive year-long cleaning project restored the staircase to its original warm-rose color.

The Senate Lobby was restored between 1977 and 1981. It serves as a meeting place for Senators and their constituents, lobbyists, and members of the press. The large gates by Albert Paley and stained glass by Hilda Sachs were added to the space during its restoration. The Victorian-tile floor was restored in 2002.

The Senate Chamber was the creation of architect H.H. Richardson. It was completed in 1881 and has been used ever since for the deliberations of the Senate. The architect’s skilled mingling of many different materials resulted in a room of great beauty. The chamber is now seen restored to its 1881 appearance, except that it accommodates sixtythree senators, thirty-one more than when the room was first occupied.

The Assembly Lobby was built as part of a group of spaces designed for the State Assembly. It is one of the few areas where original vaulted ceilings, which were so much a part of the character of the Assembly spaces, remain in place.

The Assembly Chamber was the first ceremonial space in the Capitol to be occupied. When the room was opened on January 7, 1879, extensive praise was lavished on architect Leopold Eidlitz’s design. Less than ten years after the chamber opened, structural problems forced the replacement of the ornately carved sandstone groined vaulted ceiling with a flat coffered ceiling.

The Legislative Library replaced an earlier library that was destroyed in the fire of 1911. The white marble walls are enhanced with a series of allegorical murals painted by William H. Low. The library serves members of the Senate and Assembly and their staffs.

The Assembly Galleries allow visitors to witness the lawmaking process. After years of being hidden from view, the original sandstone vaulted ceilings in the east and west galleries have been restored and can now be seen by the public.

The Upper Senate Corridor is one of the few places in the Capitol where the original Minton tile floor is still in place. It is made up of thousands of individual pieces of tile in different colors and shapes that have been fit together like a giant mosaic.

The Senate Galleries were designed to provide visitors with a place from which to view the Senate’s deliberations. They are an integral part of the design of the chamber and continue to function as they were originally intended.