New York was the 11th state to ratify the U.S. Constitution on July 26, 1788. In 1797 Albany was picked to house the New York State Legislature; prior to this legislative sessions had been hosted in New York City, Kingston, Poughkeepsie and Fishkill.
In 1868 a Capitol Commission was formed for the construction of a new Capitol; the cornerstone was laid in 1871. In 1879 the representatives and senators occupy the Capitol even though only one fourth of it is completed. In the next ten years more rooms are completed and occuppied. Theodore Roosevelt was the first governor to take the oath in the Capitol which he declared to be "completed".
General Grant chose Sheridan to command a military division and assigned him the task of clearing the Shenandoah Valley of confederates. To accomplished this he burned his way through the valley, preventing confederate use of its grain and other stores. In 1865 he cutoff General Lee's line of retreat at Appomatox Court House. In later years he worked for the creation of Yellowstone National Park.
The Senate Chamber was closed; the House Chamber was being renovated. The lobby is a welcoming area that serves as the entryway to the Senate Chamber.
This staircase, also known as the "Million Dollar Staircase," was designed by architect Isaac Perry and took 13 years to complete.This staircase, made of Corsehill freestone from Scotland, is 119 feet high with a 3000 square foot skylight at the top.
The man responsible for the construction of this building was Dr. Andrew Sloan Draper, New York’s first Commissioner of Education. He thought the Education Building should impress the common people and represent a temple to education and the power of knowledge in the State. This building was the first American office building constructed solely for the purpose of education.
My visit to the capitol was around noon. Some of the state workers at the capitol complex took advantage of the nice weather and enjoyed their lunch in the park area behind the Capitol.
The Plaza is the seat of government operations for New York State - it occupies 98 acres of land, with 11,000 employees in 10 buildings. Governor Rockefeller wanted to create "the most electrifying capital in the world." Construction began in 1965 and was completed in 1978.
The Egg is a performing arts venue; it houses two amphitheatres, the 450 seat Lewis A. Swyer Theatre and the 982 seat Kitty Carlisle Hart Theatre. The building was constructed between 1966 and 1978.
The New York State Library is part of the Office of Cultural Education, within the New York State Education Department. Since its establishment in 1818 the State Library has been a repository for the official publications of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, commissions, public authorities, and other agencies of the State government.
The State Library also houses the State Museum and the State Archives.
In May 2002, the New York State Division of Parole conducted a special dedication of its permanent Parole Officers Memorial at the Empire State Plaza. The memorial has inscribed names of New York State Parole Officers who have died in the line of duty.
The Memorial was designed by the New York State Office of General Services based on a design concept submitted by Colleen Dillon Bergman, daughter of a 1974 slain state Trooper Emerson J. Dillon Jr. The names of 1,115 officers are engraved on the Memorial wall. The names are placed randomly on the wall and without rank.
Ninety-three modern works of art were acquired by Governor Rockefeller and his selection panel to form the Empire State Plaza Art Collection. Francois Stahly's labyrinth is one of several site specific works in the collection, and of the pieces that were located outdoors, only Labyrinth was constructed of wood.
