Why I Prefer the Williamsburg Capitol to Richmond's

A few days ago my family visited Colonial Williamsburg. Among the sites is a replica of the old Virginia capitol building, built on the foundation of the original building. (It burned down a couple times, most recently in 1832.)

There are several reasons why I prefer the old Williamsburg capitol to current one in Richmond. I'll confess that part of my interest comes as a Anglophile: the House of Burgesses chamber (below left) is an obvious copy of the House of Commons, with facing benches on each side, a table in between, the speaker's chair at one end, and even green seat cushions.

But that is a personal quirk, for me. More to the point, the Williamsburg capitol has a very different character from Richmond's. Though built in a colonial style - or, critics of the reconstruction would charge, Colonial Revival - Williamsburg's is not the strong neoclassicalism found in some other places. There is still a whiff of the medieval about the building. And I like that. This is not just an aesthetic perspective; this is a visual reminder that America, for all its newness, is heir to a long history of civilization, one that, yes, includes Greece and Rome, but also a thousand years of Christendom. That millennium was not inconsequential for us as Americans. It is to medieval England that we owe such norms as trial by jury, the presumption of innocence until guilt is proven, and bicameral legislatures. The Richmond capitol (below right), in contrast, looks like it was copied from a pagan temple. (Which, in fact, it was.)

Which brings us to a second important distinction: the Richmond capitol is modeled on a house of worship. The kind of florid prose about the "altar of liberty" and suchlike is made rather literal here. Our legislators meet in a building whose design was once meant to honor a god. I find that association deeply troubling.  Liberty is precious, even sacred, but it is not, of itself, divine.  Government is not God. All governments are subordinate to the ultimate sovereignty of God and insofar as they are just they derive their justice from Him.

One final note, about the scale: the Richmond capitol feels big and daunting. There is clearly majesty about the place, and that is proper, in a way. People should have respect for their government, which embodies the community it represents. But perhaps the Richmond capitol is too big, too grand. The Williamsburg building, while still clearly an important place, feels a bit more approachable, even a little cozy. That, I would submit, is the right relationship of the citizen to his government, not least a republican government. There should be deference, but not awe. (Let us reserve that for the Almighty.)  In an age when bureaucracies are massive and many Americans feel alienated from their representatives, there is much to be said for approachable government.

Today's images come from Flikr here and here, and from Wikipedia.