Not everyone who tours the Colorado State Capital building is given a PRIVATE tour…but we have “friends in high places”…MILE HIGH places, that is!
Hubby’s sister Patricia is an official tour guide at the capital…
So she pulled out her official badge to give us inside access, and she gave us our own private tour!
I wish I could remember all the details she pointed out to us…but it felt like we were drinking water from a fire hose as we tried to absorb all the information in such a short time!
This beautiful framed tapestry was stitched by 3,500 women throughout the state. It was created in three pieces, and then joined together when completed. It depicts the roles women have played in the settling of the state of Colorado.
The architecture is amazing, and the detail work is breathtaking on many levels. Most of the building materials used were native to Colorado. The white marble on the floor from near Aspen, and the Rose Onyx on the walls from Beulah, Colorado. The Rose Onyx is found no where else in the world! (Unfortunately there was not enough onyx to finish the building project, so the builders used pink marble from Italy to complete the less visible back stairways.)
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| The Governor’s Office…And yes…that’s a HORSE statue! |
And it turns out there is only ONE ROOM in the building that is air-conditioned…The Governor’s office! (And even though the temperature outside that day was almost 100 degrees, the entire interior of the building was amazingly cool.)
The views from the portico of the building…
That’s the Denver City and County Building in the distance.
What a beautiful view…and those mountains make quite a statement in the background!
The House Chamber is under renovation at this time…
Check out the “picture” said to resemble Alfred Hitchcock in the swirls of the Rose Onyx marble wall. (There are said to be 140 figures and pictures in the marble walls of the building!)
So thanks to Patricia for our amazing, private tour. It truly was the icing on our Mile High cake!
"drinking water from a fire hose as we tried to absorb all the information"…. my feelings on every tour i'm ever on!! looks like such a fun trip!!
It WAS a fun trip Makenzie…! Thanks!