Visiting the State Capitol of Indiana

Linda and I knocked off another state capitol while in Indianapolis. There were very few people around that morning so we had no problem finding a place to park or dodging people hustling and bustling hither and yon. (That would be the idiom meaning in or to a great many places; not the quilt block pattern... but you likely knew that.) Located near the heart of Indianapolis, the building itself is set nicely in an oversize block of it's own allowing for some nice views of the exterior.

Inside, the halls were spacious and warm with natural light from above. That said, there are several handsome chandeliers to drive off the shadows on a more overcast day. Under the dome is what appears to be a very nice stained glass window, backlit with apparent natural light as well; it's as very handsome design that reminded me of the dome at the Drake Library in Centerville, Iowa.

In front of the capitol building, just out of frame in the image above is this relief showing, as I recall, a governor giving a speech to Union soldiers either preparing to go to war or recently returned. While I'm sure that the speech was about high purpose and gratitude for their sacrifice, someone has placed a modern day penny in the hand of the speaker. There are now several alternative speeches he could be giving: a penny saved, their G.I. benefit, look what I have, etc. I'm sure you can come up with any number of alternative topics for his speech. It's an attractive piece that now has an alternative interpretation / appreciation.