[VAcourier] Virginia removes Confederate Flag

Fri May 4 18:35:56 EDT 2007

Confederate Flag removed from the Virginia Old Delegates Chamber!

"In the Old House Chamber, again stands the bronze likeness of Robert E. 
Lee, marking the spot where he accepted a Confederate command. Missing, 
however, is the Confederate battle flag that for years went largely 
unnoticed."

A makeover fit for a queen
Capitol renovation to share spotlight with Elizabeth's address<>
Wednesday, May 02, 2007 - 12:08 AM
http://www.timesdispatch.com/cva/ric/news.apx.-content-articles-RTD-2007-05-02-0131.html
By JEFF E. SCHAPIRO
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

The Thomas Jefferson-designed Capitol, over 219 years a symbol of 
promise and defiance, was reopened yesterday to the people of Virginia.

Restored and expanded over two years at a cost of $104.5 million, the 
Capitol was declared by Gov. Timothy M. Kaine an emblem of the "regal 
nature of popular government."

About 400 people gathered at the sun-washed, columned South Portico for 
a ceremony that included some of those once barred from the 
marble-and-granite corridors of power: Virginia's Indians.

Chief Stephen R. Adkins of the Chickahominy Tribe recited a prayer in 
his native tongue, calling on the "great spirit, loving father of all" 
to guide the Capitol's principal occupants: the governor and General 
Assembly.

Into the afternoon, hundreds of visitors -- many state employees on 
their lunch hour streamed through the Capitol and its 27,000-square-foot 
underground addition, both still redolent of fresh paint and plaster.

Ben Rasich, a fifth-grade student at Nuckols Farm Elementary School in 
Henrico County, toured the Capitol with classmates, marveling over 
details of the rotunda in which the Houdon statue of George Washington 
stands.

"My dad likes architecture, and I think I inherited his interest," said 
Ben, 11.

In the 18th century, Jefferson envisioned the Capitol and its classical 
design inspired by the Maison Caree, an ancient Roman temple in France, 
as a reflection of the nobility of democratic ideals.

However, in the 19th century the Capitol was the seat of a Confederate 
government wedded to slavery, and not 100 years later, state resistance 
to court-ordered school desegregation.

In recent years, its habitues have included L. Douglas Wilder, the 
nation's first elected black governor, and an increasingly diverse 
legislature whose ranks include African-Americans, women and one openly 
gay member.

"The Virginia state Capitol is much more than a building, or a museum, 
or simply a place where elective officials meet," said House Speaker 
William J. Howell, R-Stafford. "Rather, it is a splendid arena of ideas."

The House and Senate will meet in joint session for the first time in 
the refurbished Capitol tomorrow for an address by Queen Elizabeth II as 
part of the Jamestown quadricentennial.

The Capitol project was largely overseen by George C. Skarmeas, a 
bow-tied architectural historian whose portfolio includes the renovation 
of the U.S. Supreme Court and the Pennsylvania Capitol.

"In very short order, I will be a footnote," he said. "My role here was 
one thing: To pass [the Capitol] on to the next generation in a way that 
would appreciate Jefferson."

The Capitol's cornerstone was laid in 1785. The building was expanded in 
1904 with the addition of the House and Senate chambers. In 1962, the 
corridors linking the rotunda to the chambers were enlarged.

The renovation, largely respectful of the Capitol's original layout, was 
completed five months late and $5 million over budget. It included a 
complete overhaul of plumbing, electrical and ventilation systems as 
well as a strengthening of the building's foundation.

To avoid detracting from the "temple-on-the-hill" tableau that has made 
the Capitol among the most recognized buildings in the world, the 
addition was tucked beneath the gently sloping south lawn.

Near Ninth and Bank streets, a columned entrance to the hidden wing is 
based on the likeness of a Roman temple at Bremo, the Fluvanna County 
ancestral estate of the Cocke Family.

The addition, lined with 1,600 slabs of Jerusalem Gold Limestone from 
Israel, includes a visitor center, gift shop, restaurant, work space for 
reporters and meeting rooms for the House and Senate.

"There are a lot more places for [lawmakers] to hide," joked lobbyist 
Aimee Perron Seibert.

The House and Senate chambers appear much as they did when they were 
finished more than a century ago: walls painted light maroon and buff 
and highlighted with faux damask paneling.

Many of the halls and common areas, such as the rotunda, are a cheery 
yellow, providing a bright backdrop for statuary and somber portraits of 
former governors, lieutenant governors, legislators and others.

In the Old House Chamber, again stands the bronze likeness of Robert E. 
Lee, marking the spot where he accepted a Confederate command. Missing, 
however, is the Confederate battle flag that for years went largely 
unnoticed.

Dave McAllister of Chesterfield County, a retired crash investigator for 
the Department of Motor Vehicles who often appeared before legislative 
committees, was stunned by the Capitol's makeover.

Recalling that he would shiver in drafty rooms waiting to meet with 
lawmakers, McAllister peered around the House chamber where the queen 
will speak and said, "I'm impressed. Virginia has come a long way."

Contact staff writer Jeff E. Schapiro at jschapiro at timesdispatch.com 
<mailto:jschapiro at timesdispatch.com> or (804) 649-6814.

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