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kbd77 t1_j3lso97 wrote

From Wiki: The dome is "the fourth largest self-supported marble dome in the world"

Could’ve sworn it was second, but maybe that’s in the US. I think the Minnesota state house has a larger self-supported dome IIRC

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m1327 t1_j3m0p6l wrote

From https://www.sos.ri.gov/divisions/civics-and-education/ri-state-house/online-tour

The State House has one of the four largest, self-supported marble domes in the world.

The largest is St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, the second largest is the Minnesota State Capitol and the third largest is the Taj Mahal in India. On the inside of the dome, there is a wonderful painting, "The Four Freedoms" by Rhode Island artist James Allen King.

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_wheresMySuperSuit OP t1_j3m1hg2 wrote

Oh that’s cool. Do you know if I’m allowed to just walk in there to take a look?

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stuckinsanity t1_j3m20ih wrote

You do have to go through security but yes, members of the public are usually allowed inside and IIRC there are tours. If you go, keep an eye out for this horrifying statue of insurrectionist and voting rights advocate Thomas Dorr: https://www.rifuture.org/wp-content/uploads/DSC_8669.jpg

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Motherwine t1_j3mxc8x wrote

My dad is one of their tour guides on Wednesdays! It’s free to the public.

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BlueEyedRage t1_j3qixk2 wrote

Can you ask him what hours the tours are given?

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Motherwine t1_j3rzswf wrote

They’re at 10 am and 1 pm Monday-Fridays! He leads tours on Wednesdays. If you’ve got a crew larger then 10 people, call ahead to request a slot.

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RandomChurn t1_j3md93w wrote

>Oh that’s cool. Do you know if I’m allowed to just walk in there to take a look?

While you're there, check out the pair of Gettysburg "guns" in the rotunda. (They look like small canons.) One still has a round stuck in its barrel. They were last fired on the epic third day of battle at Gettysburg by a truly heroic crew; the squad leader died beside the guns, having refused to leave them after he was mortally wounded.

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hangryhusky t1_j3lv3ux wrote

I always heard US capitol and Vatican were larger, didn't know about Minnesota....still can't say I've gone looked any of this up though

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GotenRocko t1_j3mczx5 wrote

The us capitol dome is larger but it's not self supporting, that's the key term.

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Guyincognito4269 t1_j3m2od2 wrote

Same here. I thought it was 1) the Capitol, 2) the RI State House.

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BlueEyedRage t1_j3qitb2 wrote

It was 3rd when I was growing up, I wonder what bumped it out of its place?

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dweeb_plus_plus t1_j3mz3c8 wrote

I'm gonna tell my grandkids that's Nibbles Woodaway on top.

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springwaterh20 t1_j3m76z6 wrote

I’ve been home for christmas break for a while now and I miss it up there :(. very excited to return again this week thank you for the beautiful picture op!

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wil540_ t1_j3mhh23 wrote

The Rhode Island State House is constructed of 327,000 cubic feet (9,300 m3) of white Georgia marble, 15 million bricks, and 1,309 short tons (1,169 long tons) of iron floor beams. The dome is "the fourth largest self-supported marble dome in the world".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhode_Island_State_House

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argument_sketch t1_j3n4osk wrote

I always remembered this tidbit, along with something about the Providence post office being the first automated one …

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_wheresMySuperSuit OP t1_j3qhnfe wrote

I didn’t know that about the post office. I do know that Providence Fire Department were the first paid fire department in the country.

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