The state Capitol and legislative office building became open to the public for the first time since the March 2020 shutdown.
The Capitol is now open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The tour schedule is still in flux, but visitors can do a self-guided tour that is limited to the first floor.
While visually stunning, there is more to the Victorian Gothic-style building than just its beauty. There’s a rich history to the 142-year-old relic, and pieces of the past are scattered all throughout the space. Here are just a few interesting facts to wet your whistle.
The building's dome originally had a large statue on top of it named 'The Genius of Connecticut', which was taken down in 1938 after being damaged in the severe hurricane that year. During World War II, the piece was donated to the federal government and melted down as part of the war effort to make ammunition and machine parts. The original plaster statue is now at the capitol, and has been coated in a bronze finish.
The large gold dome is actually covered with a thin layer of real gold. A heist wouldn’t be worth it, though; it's only a few karats.
The Capitol cost about $2.5 million to build in the 1870s. Today, it has an estimated replacement value of more than $200,000,000.
This is just a taste for all you history buffs, so make a trip to Hartford for the full experience.