Governor Warner Dedicates Virginia's First Executive Office Building in Honor of Patrick Henry
Governor Warner Dedicates Virginia's First Executive Office Building in Honor of Patrick Henry
Renovated building in Capitol Square houses Governor's and Cabinet offices and will serve as temporary House and Senate Chambers in 2006
Governor Mark R. Warner today officially dedicated a newly renovated state office building in honor of Patrick Henry, Virginia's first elected Governor. The Patrick Henry Building, previously home to the Virginia State Library and Virginia Supreme Court, is the Commonwealth's first executive office building. It houses the Governor's office, Cabinet secretaries, and the Departments of Planning and Budget and General Services. In 2006, the building will also serve as temporary House and Senate chambers while the Capitol building undergoes renovation. The Patrick Henry Building is officially listed as a historic site on the Virginia Landmark Register.
"Patrick Henry was a fiery American patriot who stood with our founding fathers at the birth of our nation," said Governor Mark Warner. "Virginians honor him today as the first elected Governor of our Commonwealth and for his eloquent and impassioned defense of liberty in the state that served as the cradle of American democracy."
Mrs. Margaret P. Nuttle, the great, great, great granddaughter of Patrick Henry, and her cousin, Clay Hamner, joined Governor Warner, former governors, legislators, and citizens for the dedication ceremony. Governor Warner and a Patrick Henry historical reenactor, played by Michael Wells, unveiled a bronze bust of Patrick Henry that will remain in the building's foyer.
The Patrick Henry Building is the first in a series of Capitol Square renovation projects. The Art Deco building began a $32 million renovation in March 2003 and opened in April 2005. Built in 1939 as a Public Works Administration project, the building was originally designed for the State Library and Supreme Court of Virginia. Renovations included replacing all the building systems; repairing the exterior masonry; installing new elevators, windows, and roof; waterproofing and installing new fire alarms, sprinkler systems, and bathrooms; providing entrances and other features accessible to the disabled; and preserving and restoring the old Supreme Court Chamber, entrance lobbies, and the library's former grand reading rooms. The oak walls in the lobby, 80 original light fixtures, the terrazzo-lined floor, the granite on the walls in the entranceways, and the American walnut inlaid with ebony in the Supreme Court room were all preserved and restored.
Patrick Henry, born in 1736 in Hanover County, was a politician, a lawyer, and the first elected Governor of the Commonwealth. He served five terms as Governor and almost 30 years in some form of public office. He was well known as a "man of the people," and died June 6, 1799. Henry is most remembered for a speech he made in 1775 at St. John's Church in Richmond where he said, "I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death."
For more information about the Patrick Henry Building, log on to DGS's Capitol Square Improvements site at www.dgs.virginia.gov/CapSquare/Index.asp.
http://www.governor.virginia.gov/Press_Policy/Releases/2005/Jun05/0613.htm