Boise, Idaho

My mother lives in Washington State, and as it turns out, three of my sisters from California were planning a trip up North for a visit in April or May. (I also have one sister who lives in Washington as well.) So, being in California in April meshed nicely into these plans and the sisters reunion will take place the last week in April. After making the decision to go back to Michigan, via Aberdeen, Washington, Dan and I decided we would take a round-about route the Pacific Northwest via Boise, Idaho so we could visit the Capitol. I also happen to have a niece (and her family) who live in Boise, so there was more than one reason to take this route.

We arrived in Boise on a Monday, and on Tuesday we met my niece for coffee at Big City Coffee, a very fun coffee, breakfast, and lunch place I recommend if you are ever in the area. Afterwards Dan and I toured the State Capitol, dropped by the natural foods CO-OP for lunch and a little shopping, then to the Old Idaho State Penitentiary for a self-guided tour of the prison that operated until 1973.

The Capitol, built in 1905, is of the traditional dome style, and was designed by John Tourtellotte, whose vision was to create a building that emphasized natural light and use it as a decorative element. He used light shafts, skylights, and reflective marble surfaces to capture natural sunlight and direct it to the interior space. For Tourtellotte, light was a metaphor for an enlightened and moral state government, and the building is referred to as the "Capitol of Light". Along with the natural lighting, the use of interior lights projects a soft golden glow throughout the building.

The atmosphere is formal and stately. Classic Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian columns support the rotunda, and the marble floors come from quarries in Alaska, Georgia, Vermont, and Italy. The columns themselves, although they look as if they are made from marble, are actually a finished surface composed of scagliola, a mixture of gypsum, glue, marble dust and granite, dyed to look like marble. Scaglioila originated in Italy during the 16th century as an alternative to marble, which was both expensive and very heavy.

I have included a few pictures of the "Capitol of Light" from our visit.