So we were walking along in downtown Indianapolis in October, minding our own business, enjoying a few brief moments before the next commitment, when all of a sudden we happened upon the Indiana State Capitol Building. Just like that. Sitting there as pretty as you please.
Of course, when a capitol building is there like that, all available and inviting, we just have to go in, so we did. And the first thing we saw...well, after passing through the security line, emptying our pockets and going through the x-ray...the first cool thing we saw was this bust of Lincoln. We might have thought Abraham Lincoln was Illinois' favorite son, but Indiana lays claim to him just as much and proudly displays this bust of him in the entryway of their grand old state capitol building.
After admiring Lincoln's likeness for a few moments, we meandered farther in and were pounced upon by the kind little lady at the visitor's desk who asked where we were from and if we were interested in a tour of the building. Soon we were bunched up with a few high school students and a Boy Scout with his little sister and mother, all learning about Indiana's great state capitol building.
An interesting trivia fact we learned: Indiana's original charter was written in the shade of a great tree because the weather was too hot to be inside. Decades later when the tree died and was taken down, the wood was saved. Decades more later, a custom climate-controlled case was created for displaying the charter for safer preservation using wood from the original tree which shaded Indiana's founders as they wrote it.
We learned all sorts of interesting tidbits and history fun facts on the tour. Our guide was particularly thorough on its construction materials and sources. This Indiana capitol building was built on time in 1888 and under budget. The wise governor at the time made a condition in the agreement that if the contractors went over the two million dollar budget, any costs incurred over the budgeted amount would be paid for by the contractors. It worked. Makes one wonder if we had more contracts like this today if it'd help rein in some state and federally funded projects.
The Indiana Statehouse (capitol building) is home to all three branches of government - and as luck would have it, the tour included all three! Our first stop was the House. On our way, we passed by the House Offices.
The House was originally a much larger room, however when space grew short in supply, the side walls were bumped in and offices for the state representatives were added on the sides.
A similar office space solution was done to the Senate chamber by bumping the walls inward to make room for senator offices along the outer walls.
The Indiana Supreme Court chambers haven't changed so walking inside here is like taking a step back in time. Photos or portraits of all the previous and current Indiana Supreme Court Justices line the back, side, and part of the front walls. Beautiful stained glass windows dress up the other side wall.
The doorway to the Law Library is beautiful, however the interior makes us so appreciative of the grandeur in our own Iowa Capitol Building.
The part of the capitol I couldn't get enough of was the central rotunda and wings. The soaring pillars connected with the sweeping railings were breathtaking.
If you're ever in central Indianapolis, take a few moments and visit the Indiana State Capitol Building. You'll be so glad you did.
Springfield, Illinois has two capitol buildings. Two, you ask? Yep. Two. But they're only using the bigger one currently. This one is the Old Capitol Building. (Duh, huh? Creative name [note a hint of witty sarcasm] - but it works. At least you know what it is without knowing any more than the building's name.)
When Illinois outgrew the Old Capitol Building, the current one was built.
The Illinois State Capitol Building sits on a large parcel of land in the middle of Springfield at the end of Capitol Avenue (would it be on any other street?). Illinois' State Library is housed in a separate building across the street from and northeast of the Capitol Building.
The Supreme Court also gets its own building and sits on the other corner across from the Capitol and Library.
And if you walk down Capitol Avenue to the East and look back at the Illinois State Capitol in early November, you'll see something like this:
And this is good. Very good indeed.
We've visited the Iowa State Capitol Building in Des Moines several times. And every time it's been warm enough that the dome has been closed due to excess heat. So when we went to the capitol during a quiet rainy day on our anniversary this year, we were ecstatic to find out the dome was open!
We'd arrived at the Capitol 20 minutes before the tours ended for the day and the kind guide said she'd gladly give us an abbreviated tour once she found out we really only wanted to see a few key places: the House of Representatives, the Law Library, and the dome.
After admiring the House and Library, we were ready to venture to the top for the first time. We weren't disappointed. The views were incredible. Looking down at the Rotunda from four stories above was breathtaking. The people below looked so tiny.
For better ventilation, a doorway over the rooftop was open so we crouched in the low space and peered out through the heavy screen.
We could have stared at the inside of the dome all day if they'd let us.
Sensing our guide was ready to call it a day and our time at the top was coming to an end, we headed back toward the narrow winding stairs we'd climbed. Peering over the railing, the view inside the spiral only reinforced just how many flights of stairs we'd climbed and had to go back down again. It could make your head spin just thinking about it!
Back on the first floor, we asked about the restoration and construction taking place and were told the center of the first floor is being restored back to its original stained glass mosaic pattern since the floor opening is no longer needed for ventilation now that the building is fully air conditioned.
Standing on the ground floor and looking up to the top of the dome will no longer be possible in the near future. We lingered a few extra moments on our way out and drank in the view, knowing we'll be one of the last visitors to get to see the dome from this vantage point.
We've become fascinated by state capitols. Beginning with our honeymoon, every time we're near one, we make an attempt to visit each state capitol we can.
Our first was the state capitol in Olympia, Washington. There we were, two love-struck honeymooners, driving along when we'd spotted the capitol building. Intrigued, we parked and walked hand-in-hand all over the grounds and wound our way up the grand steps. We stood with our necks craned back and mouths wide open at the grandeur inside. When the cute little old lady behind the visitors desk asked if we'd like a tour, we agreed, and were hooked. We enjoyed our first capitol building so much we stopped by to see Oregon's capitol in Salem a couple days later.
Now every time we're anywhere near a state capitol, we always try to stop by. The history and significance and pride of each state is on display in their capitol and it's such a fun way to get a true taste of the part of the country we're in. Since then, we've been to the capitols in Iowa (of course!), Indiana, and Illinois just to name a few. And we're on a roll. We recently picked up this great book of American Capitols.
Now when we travel near a capitol, we'll take this book so we'll have a little background info about each place, and write the date of each visit on that state capitol's page. It'll be a fun record of our capitol progress across America. Now - any good suggestions for which capitol we should visit next?
