Weekend Snapshot: Number 26

My weekend snapshots this week were taken Saturday on a different type of walk from my regular nature trail walks. Bill and I decided to go downtown for a change of pace. I took a lot of photographs from all over the downtown area but will focus on the NC Capitol for my weekend snapshot post.
The NC State Capitol which was built between 1833 and 1840 is located in downtown Raleigh which is the Capital of NC (a state in the U.S.). The first State House was built on the same site in 1796 but was burned down during efforts to fireproof the wooden roof in 1831. Does anyone else see the irony in that?
Workmen were going to use melted zinc to cover the roof of the old State House to make it fireproof. The way the story goes is they melted the zinc in big pots, left to eat lunch, the pots tipped over and caught the building on fire and it burned to the ground. I bet those workmen never did that again. When the Capitol building was replaced they went from a fairly simple brick building to the Greek Revival style Capitol which is still standing.
All branches of state government were housed in the building until the State Supreme Court moved to its own building in 1888. The General Assembly met in the Capitol until 1963 when they moved to the new Legislature Building. Offices for the Governor and Secretary of State remain in the Capitol building.
The photograph below was taken after we walked down Fayetteville Street and I turned around to face back towards the Capitol Building . Between 1976 and 2006 Fayetteville Street was a pedestrian mall with water fountains, plants, trees, and places to sit. Then they decided that it was a bad idea and they ripped up the fountains and put a street back in, returning it to the way it was prior to 1976.
The big celebration for the return of a street newly open to cars, involved a party with food, music, and fireworks in the street. For the celebration the street was blocked off from cars. Anyone else see the irony in people dancing on the street to celebrate the return of cars?

To find other weekend snapshot participants you can go to the home of WS at Weekend snapshot or to the Technorati posts - Weekend Snapshot