Massachusetts State House

It hosts the Massachusetts Legislature and has offices of the Governor of the State.nOn the site where the Capitol is now located, there was a pasture previously owned by John Hancock – the first governor of Massachusetts (in 1780-1785). For the construction of the Capitol, pasture level was reduced by about 15 m.nThe central part of the modern building of the Capitol was built in the years 1795-1798 by the project of architect Charles Bulfinch.nThe dome of the Capitol was originally made of wooden shingles, but then (in 1802) it was sheathed with copper sheets (because shingled poorly protected from rain and leaked). In 1874, the dome was covered with 23-carat (958-th test) gold. During World War II it was painted black so as not to be a target for bombing. It was last gilded in 1997. At the top of the dome there is a gilded pine cone – a symbol of the forests of Massachusetts.nIn front of the building is an equestrian statue of General Joseph Hooker. From the front of the Capitol are statues of politician Daniel Webster, reformer of the education system Horace Mann and former US President John F. Kennedy.