Illinois State Capital

I had the pleasure of touring the Illinois State capital building earlier the year

The 10 ft. 6 in. statue of Abraham Lincoln greets you as you approach the front entry.  It was dedicated on October 5, 1918, the centennial of the first meeting of the Illinois General Assembly.

I came across this antique post card online while doing some research on the building.

The Illinois State Capitol building began construction in 1868 and was completed in 1882 in the Italianate and French revival styles at a costs of $4.5 Million dollars. I was surprised to learn that this is actually the sixth site of the capital in the state.

`

The stately "front porch" or portico, has a heavily rusticated base and ornate stone columns.

This section drawing through the capital shows the impressive dome construction.

The dome, standing about 235 feet tall, is what you see from inside the building however, the outer dome is the silver-colored, 361-feet tall structure seen from outside the building.
It is the third tallest capital dome in the US - and is taller than the US capital which is 287 feet tall.

Here is a photo of the staircase inside the outer dome.

This statue of a woman with open arms represents "Illinois Welcoming the World".  The sculptor, Julia M. Bracken, was asked to reproduce the statue in bronze for the Capitol. It was dedicated on May 16, 1895. She stands on an eight pointed star in the marble tile. There is a point for each letter in the word Illinois.

The interiors recall French renaissance details, elaborate ceilings, frescos, marble and plaster details.  Note all of the period appropriate and restored light fixtures.

Here is a closer look at the ornamental iron handrail.

The rotunda dome features the seal of state of Illinois at the peak in stained glass.

The rotunda also has life size statues of prominent figures in Illinois history. 

 

The statues around the rotunda on the second floor are all made of plaster. This one of Abraham Lincoln by Leonard Volk was place in the capital January 7, 1877.
The grand staircase can be seen the background.

Off the rotunda - the grand staircase.  Note the balcony around this area. It features a plaster relief showing pioneer day scenes and is painted to look like bronze.

Atop the grand staircase is 40' X 20' 1886 painting by Gustav A. Fuchs.  It features General George Rogers Clark capturing Fort Sackville securing the northwest territory for the United States during the Revolutionary War.  The painting depicts him at Fort Kaskaskia in 1778 negotiating with the native Americans. Kaskaskia was the Illinois first state capital site.

The Illinois House of Representatives chamber view from the Gallery. Our tour guide pointed out that scenes from Legally Blonde 2 were filmed in chamber in lieu of the the U.S. Capitol which wasn't available at the time.

Note the electronic voting boards and the portrait of Abraham Lincoln.

Here is a detail of the elaborate ceiling which was recently restored.

The corridors have marble floors and walls and highly ornate ceilings 

The custom door hardware is an unusual feature in the building.

One of the most beautiful and ornate rooms is the former Supreme Court chamber, now used as a committee room.  The Illinois Supreme Court outgrew this area in 1908.

The elaborate ceiling has a mural with the goddess of justice trampling on coins signifying that justice is not for sale.

The walls are layered with woodwork, plaster molding, stenciling and wallpaper.  These wall panels feature the stylized word Justice as well as the scales of justice.

The woodwork is incredible.

So much history and eye candy.

The room takes it's inspiration from this room in Doge's Palace located Venice, Italy.

The capitol offers free tours of the facility hourly during business hours.