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Pennsylvania’s Capitol was designed and built by architect Joseph Huston from 1902 until 1906. Huston’s American Renaissance design was selected from among nine entries made in a competition held by the Capitol Building Commission in 1901. Formed in 1901 by then-Governor William Stone, the committee was charged with selecting a Pennsylvania native to design a replacement for the hastily constructed and incomplete capitol building that had been erected to replace the state’s original building that had burned in 1897. The lavish new building was dedicated by Governor Samuel Pennypacker on October 4, 1906, though the artwork that graces much of the building would take another twenty years to complete. The final cost of the Capitol was $13 million, a figure that drew much scrutiny from the newly-elected State treasurer. An ensuing investigation ultimately led to the conviction of five men for fraud, including Joseph Huston.
