Capitol of Puerto Rico | |
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Capitolio de Puerto Rico | |
Alternative names | El Capitolio; Casa de las Leyes; Palacio de las Leyes |
General information | |
Type | Legislature |
Architectural style | Neoclassical, Beaux-Arts architecture |
Location | Avenida Ponce de León and Avenida Muñoz Rivera, San Juan, Puerto Rico |
Address | 1 Plaza de la Democracia, San Juan, PR, 00901 |
Coordinates | 18°28′1″N 66°6′21″W / 18.46694°N 66.10583°W |
Construction started | 1921 |
Completed | 1929 |
Inaugurated | February 11, 1929 |
Design and construction | |
Architect(s) | Rafael Carmoega |
Official name | El Capitolio de Puerto Rico[1] |
Designated | November 18, 1977 |
Reference no. | 77001555[2] |
The Capitol of Puerto Rico (Spanish: Capitolio de Puerto Rico), also known as Casa de las Leyes (House of Laws), and most commonly referred to as El Capitolio (The Capitol), is the seat of the Legislative Assembly, the bicameral legislature, composed of the Senate and House of Representatives, responsible for the legislative branch of the government of Puerto Rico. Located on San Juan Islet immediately outside the Walls of Old San Juan, the oceanfront, neoclassical Beaux-Arts-style, entirely white marble-covered edifice was constructed between 1921 and 1929 to resemble the ancient Roman Pantheon in Rome, using as inspiration the Low Memorial Library in New York City. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.[3][4][5]
The frieze on the north façade of the building is inscribed with the following text in Spanish by the first Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico Luis Muñoz Marín:
Spanish | English |
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El derecho, la liberta y la dignidad por encima de todo. | Law, freedom, and dignity above all. |
The frieze on the south façade of the building is inscribed with the following text in English by the 16th president of the United States of America Abraham Lincoln during the Gettysburg Address:
English |
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Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth. |
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