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State Capitol Buildings


ironchapman

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Ohio's state capitol

Ohio's capitol is neat because it is in Columbus so it's surrounded by buildings significantly taller and of varying styles. The state didn't want to have exposed parking around the capitol so the parking is built underground beneath the old building. The capitol next to so many different types of buildings can make for some interesting contrasts.

Ohio State House in Columbus

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Most people would not consider that to be a dome at all. A quote from one site:

"Greek Revival capitol building features a large flat topped drum tower covering an interior dome. The drum tower was originally designed to support an exterior dome and cupola, but those plans were abandoned."

You can see a bit of a bulge above the drum, but what makes it officially a dome? Is there a technical answer to that? Can you tell I'm not an architect? :blink:

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TEXAS State Capitol:

Completed in 1888 as the winning design from a national competition, the Capitol's style is Renaissance Revival, based on the architecture of 15th-century Italy , and characterized by classical orders, round arches and symmetrical composition. The structural exterior is "sunset red" granite, quarried just 50 miles from the site. Additional structural support is provided by masonry walls and cast iron columns and beams. The foundation is limestone. Texas paid for the construction not in dollars, but in land: some three million acres in the Texas Panhandle that would later become the famous XIT Ranch.

An extraordinary edifice by any measure, the 1888 Texas Capitol is the largest in gross square footage of all state capitols, and is second in total size only to the National Capitol in Washington, D.C. Like several other state capitols, the 1888 Texas Capitol surpasses the National Capitol in height, rising almost 15 feet above its Washington counterpart.

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NEBRASKA State Capitol

One of the most distinctive statehouses in the United States, its height is surpassed only by the capitol building of Louisiana, which rises 34 stories.

The building was designed by Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue and constructed between 1922 and 1932. The limestone structure draws on both Classical and Gothic architectural traditions, but represents major innovations in state capitol design.

The building has an elaborate iconographic program. The large square base represents the flat plains of Nebraska. The vertical tower symbolizes the dreams and aspirations of the pioneers. The massive balustrade flanking the main stairway is ornamented with bison inscribed with Native American ritual passages. Over the entrance is a gilded frieze showing the progress of the pioneers. Other exterior sculptural ornament includes a series of friezes depicting the history of law from the ten commandments to a celebration of Nebraska's statehood. Ten great lawgivers, Minos, Hammurabi, Moses, Akhnaton, Solon, Solomon, Julius Caesar, Justinian I, Charlemagne, and Napoleon are depicted emerging from pylonic masses. The eight ideals of culture represented by Pentaour (history), Ezekial (vision), Socrates (reason), Marcus Aurelius (statecraft), St. John the Baptist (faith), Louis IX (chivalry), Isaac Newton (science), and Abraham Lincoln (liberty) are also represented.

The tower is crowned by a golden dome with a 6 m (19 ft.) sculpture of The Sower, which faces northwest (most of Nebraska is north and west of Lincoln). The dome is symbolic of the sun, and its reflective surface changes color with the weather. The frieze around the drum depicts thunderbirds, the American Indian symbol for rain and life. Therefore, the golden dome, sower, and drum represent sun and rain, agriculture and productivity. On a more symbolic level, they are an homage to the pioneers who created productive farmland and propagated civilization.

Hildreth Meiere, a New York based tile and mosaic designer, was responsible for much of the original interior design. Buffaloes, corn, wheat, sunflowers, and wild native animals motifs are repeated throughout the building

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This is a great idea for a topic. I don't have any of my old photos scanned in and ready to post, but here are a few Flickr Finds

Madison, Wisconsin:

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Austin, Texas:

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Montpelier, Vermont:

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Jackson, Mississippi:

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There are quite a few others on Flickr, but they were flagged as "All Rights Reserved," so I didn't borrow them. I searched tags using "state capital" if you want to go explore. :thumbsup:

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I lived in West Virginia for a while. Their capitol building is one of my favorites. I think the dome has a copper coating. I cant remeber for sure. Its really an impressive beautiful building.

It's actually Gold Leaf, believe it or not. Thank you to former Governor Arch A. Moore, Jr., if I recall. I grew up in Huntington, myself and was just a toddler when they applied it.

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It's a beautiful treatment, but as you can imagine, it's costly to maintain.

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