LOUISIANA STATE CAPITOL

This is the tallest Capitol building in the United States. Built between 1934 and 1935 (over a period of 14 months), it has thirty-four floors. Governor Huey P. Long succeeded in convincing the judiciary to pass an amendment to provide funds for the new Capitol. He was assassinated in 1935 and buried in the Capitol Gardens. You will find his statue at the entrance. The tower now houses Louisiana's seat of government. You can visit the House of Representatives and the Senate when they are not in session. The tower, square and then octagonal from the 22nd floor on, is flanked at the corners by four allegorical statues representing Law, Science, Philosophy and Art. The entrance staircase has forty-eight steps representing the forty-eight states in their order of entry into the Union. Alaska and Hawaii were added later. At the top is engraved the motto of the United States: E pluribus Unum (One from Many). Two groups of monumental statues frame the steps: on the east side the patriots are mourning and crying after a battle, on the west side the pioneers symbolize the courage of the men and women who built the state from scratch. The engraved frieze at the base of the building depicts Louisiana's struggles, its admission into the Union and the development of its natural resources. A quote engraved on the door next to the main entrance recalls the words of Ambassador Robert Livingston at the time of his negotiation for the Louisiana Purchase in 1803: "We have lived a long time, but this is the noblest work of our lives... The United States now takes its place among the leading powers of the world. "Inside, a multimedia presentation gives you a quick and interesting look at the city's political history. You can also climb to the top of the tower for free (weekdays only): from the 27th floor, you'll have a great view of Baton Rouge, the gardens to the east, the Mississippi River to the west, the huge factories and refineries that border it to the north, and the Capitol Gardens and Louisiana State University (LSU) to the south. To get a guided tour of the Capitol (subject to availability), contact them at least one day in advance, if not more. Note that you will also find a small tourist information center in the lobby. And if you're lucky like us, you'll be able to get all the information about Baton Rouge and the other regions of Louisiana in the language of Molière.