Delaware - Expo Philadelphia 1876
The Delaware State Building is located on the north side of State Avenue, adjoining the Massachusetts Building to the west.
The style is Gothic, modern villa architecture; the small house, as becomes, perhaps, the Diamond State, whose territorial area is not wide and extensive.
It measures 54 x 34 feet, is framed in hemlock and clad in Delaware floorboards and clad in Delaware siding.
The entire building is constructed of Delaware wood.
A porch and tower stand out from the front, relieving the brightness of the walls on either side.
On the other side of the door, the Delaware State Coat of Arms catches the eye. From the flagpole, a white flag, with the state name on it, flutters in the breeze, and the staff itself is topped by the proud emblem of this small commonwealth, "The Blue Hen's Chicken".
The front grounds are laid out as a garden. The central path is divided by a diamond shaped flower bed and there are similarly shaped flower beds on each side.
The house is two stories high and is the home of the Commissioners of Delaware and the people of that state.
The interior is divided by a wide entrance, from which rises a convenient staircase leading to the upper rooms on the second floor.
The ladies' sitting-room is on the west side, neatly upholstered in green and gold, comfortably furnished and communicating with the toilet beyond.
The gentlemen's reception room, to the east, communicates with a rest room. The paper is brown and gold.
The reading and writing quarters are furnished, and everything is in good order to make the visitors comfortable.
The second floor is divided into four rooms, two of which are fitted up as bedrooms and two as business offices of the commission.
The building is pleasant and in the summer enjoys the favour of the south-west wind, which penetrates every flat and makes the place cool and comfortable.
The architect was E. L. Rice; the builder, J. L. Kilgore, both of Wilmington, Del.
In terms of cost, it is one of the cheapest buildings on the ground, but economy was governed by good taste.
©Centennial portfolio: a souvenir of the international exhibition at Philadelphia - 1876