Iowa State Capitol
Encyclopedia
The Iowa State Capitol is located in Iowa
's capital city, Des Moines
, and houses the Iowa Senate
, Iowa House of Representatives
, the Office of the Governor, and the Offices of the Attorney General
, Auditor, Treasurer
, and Secretary of State
. The building also includes a chamber for the Iowa Supreme Court
, although court activities usually take place in the neighboring Iowa Supreme Court building. The building was constructed between 1871 and 1886, and is the only five-domed capitol in the country.
Located at East 9th Street and Grand Avenue, the capitol is set atop a hill and offers a panoramic view of the city’s downtown and the West Capitol Terrace. Various monuments and memorials are to its sides and front, including the Soldiers and Sailors’ Monument and the Lincoln and Tad statue.
, Iowa recognized that the Capitol should be moved farther west than Iowa City
, and the 1st General Assembly
, in 1846, authorized a commission to select a location. In 1854, the General Assembly decreed a location “within two miles of the Raccoon fork of the Des Moines River
.” The exact spot was chosen when Wilson Alexander Scott gave the state nine and one-half acres where the Capitol now stands. Final legislative approval for the construction of a permanent statehouse was given on April 8, 1870.
A three-story brick building served as a temporary Capitol and was in use for 30 years, until destroyed by fires. But in the meantime, the permanent Capitol was being planned and built.
In 1870, the General Assembly established a Capitol commission to employ an architect, choose a plan for a building (not to cost more than $1,500,000), and proceed with the work, but
only by using funds available without increasing the tax rate.
John C. Cochrane
and Alfred H. Piquenard
were designated as architects, and a cornerstone was laid
on November 23, 1871. However, much of the original stone deteriorated through waterlogging and severe weather and had to be replaced. The cornerstone was relaid on September 29, 1873.
Although the building could not be constructed for $1,500,000 as planned, the Cochrane and Piquenard design was retained and modifications were undertaken. Cochrane resigned in 1872,
but Piquenard continued until his death in 1876. He was succeeded by two of his assistants, M.E. Bell and W.F. Hackney.
The building commission made its final report on June 29, 1886, with a total cost of $2,873,294.59. The audit showed that only $3.77 was unaccounted for in the 15 years of construction.
style gives the impression of strength and dignity combined with utility.
The commanding feature is the central towering dome
constructed of iron and brick and covered with 23 carat gold. The gold leafing was replaced in 1964-1965 at a cost of $79,938. The dome is surmounted by a lookout lantern that may be reached by long and winding stairs, and it terminates in a finial that is 275 feet above the ground floor. The rotunda
beneath the dome is 67 feet in diameter. Four smaller domes of simple design rise from the four corners of the Capitol.
The pediment over the front entrance discloses a fine piece of allegorical sculpture.
The exterior of the building is entirely of stone with elaborate columns and handsomely designed cornices and capitals. Iowa stone is the foundation for the many porticoes of the building. The building is brick with limestone
from Iowa, Missouri
, Minnesota
, Ohio
, and Illinois
. The substructure is of dark Iowa stone topped by a heavy course of wari-colored granite cut from glacial boulders gathered from the Iowa prairie. The superstructure, or main part of the building, is of bluff colored sandstone from quarries along the Mississippi River
in Missouri.
Both front and back porticoes have pediments supported by six Corinthian columns each. The dome
of the capitol is gilded with tissue-paper thin sheets of pure 23-karat gold
, with a protective layer sealing the gold from the weather, and the top of its finial peak is 275 feet (83.8 m) above the ground. From its opening during 1884 until 1924, it was the tallest building in Des Moines, and likely the entire state.
The marble grand staircase between the second and third floors is to the east and is the focal point of the building. Suites opening from the south corridor are those of the Governor, Auditor of State, and Treasurer of State. The historical Supreme Court Chamber is to the north; the Secretary of State’s suite is to the west. The grand staircase ascends to a landing and divides north and south to bring visitors to the floor above, where the House of Representatives is on the north, the Senate is on the South, and the Law Library on the west.
The ground floor houses a cafeteria and administrative offices.
quotation: “This nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”
Extending the full width of the east wall over the staircase is the great mural painting Westward, an idealized representation of the coming of the people who made Iowa. The painting was completed shortly after the turn of the century. Edwin H. Blashfield, the artist, wrote of it: “The main idea of the picture is a symbolical presentation of the Pioneers led by the spirits of Civilization and Enlightenment to the conquest by cultivation of the Great West.”
main floor: Civil War
, 1; Spanish-American War
, 13; World War I
, 26. In the west hall is a plaque done by Nellie V. Walker in commemoration of the work of Iowa women in the fight for political equality and a memorial to those Iowans killed in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.
Also in the west hall is a model of the Battleship
USS Iowa
on loan from the U.S. Department of the Navy
. The model is 18 feet 7 inches long and weighs about 1,350 pounds. It is a perfect scale model, 1/4 inch equaling 1 foot. The Iowa was the lead ship of her class of battleship and the fourth in the United States Navy
to be named in honor of the 29th state. It is also the last lead ship of any class of United States battleships, and was the only ship of her class to have served in the Atlantic Ocean
during World War II
. The Iowa is currently berthed with the National Defense Reserve Fleet
at Suisun Bay, near San Francisco, California
.
In the south hall across from the Governor’s office is a collection of porcelain
doll
s representing the 41 Iowa First Ladies
in replicas of their inaugural gowns. Where actual descriptions of the gowns could not be found, they are typical of the period. As future First Ladies take their place, they, too, will be represented.
The earlier efforts to preserve the Capitol mostly dealt with maintaining and upgrading the
building’s interior. It was not until 1965, when the dome was regilded, that a large-scale preservation effort and investment was made to the building’s exterior.
By the early 1980s, the exterior of the Capitol had noticeably deteriorated. Sandstone pieces
had begun falling from the building, prompting the installation of steel canopies at all entrances of the building to protect pedestrians. Decorative stone, whose deterioration had first been documented as early as the turn of the century, had eroded further.
Actual construction of the exterior restoration plan began in the spring of 1983 and was completed in nine phases. Phase 9 work began in the spring of 1998 and the entire
Capitol exterior restoration was completed in the fall of 2001, at a cost of $41 million.
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
's capital city, Des Moines
Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines is the capital and the most populous city in the US state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857...
, and houses the Iowa Senate
Iowa Senate
The Iowa Senate is the upper house of the Iowa General Assembly. There are 50 members of the Senate, representing 50 single-member districts across the state with populations of approximately 59,500 per constituency. Each Senate district is composed of two House districts...
, Iowa House of Representatives
Iowa House of Representatives
The Iowa House of Representatives is the lower house of the Iowa General Assembly. There are 100 members of the House of Representatives, representing 100 single-member districts across the state with populations of approximately 29,750 for each constituency...
, the Office of the Governor, and the Offices of the Attorney General
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
, Auditor, Treasurer
Treasurer
A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The adjective for a treasurer is normally "tresorial". The adjective "treasurial" normally means pertaining to a treasury, rather than the treasurer.-Government:...
, and Secretary of State
Secretary of State
Secretary of State or State Secretary is a commonly used title for a senior or mid-level post in governments around the world. The role varies between countries, and in some cases there are multiple Secretaries of State in the Government....
. The building also includes a chamber for the Iowa Supreme Court
Iowa Supreme Court
The Iowa Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Iowa. As constitutional head of the Iowa Judicial Branch, the Court is composed of a Chief Justice and six Associate Justices....
, although court activities usually take place in the neighboring Iowa Supreme Court building. The building was constructed between 1871 and 1886, and is the only five-domed capitol in the country.
Located at East 9th Street and Grand Avenue, the capitol is set atop a hill and offers a panoramic view of the city’s downtown and the West Capitol Terrace. Various monuments and memorials are to its sides and front, including the Soldiers and Sailors’ Monument and the Lincoln and Tad statue.
History
Not long after achieving statehoodU.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
, Iowa recognized that the Capitol should be moved farther west than Iowa City
Iowa City, Iowa
Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, State of Iowa. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total population of about 67,862, making it the sixth-largest city in the state. Iowa City is the county seat of Johnson County and home to the University of Iowa...
, and the 1st General Assembly
Iowa General Assembly
The Iowa General Assembly is the legislative branch of the state government of Iowa. Like the federal United States Congress, the General Assembly is a bicameral body, composed of the upper house Iowa Senate and the lower Iowa House of Representatives respectively...
, in 1846, authorized a commission to select a location. In 1854, the General Assembly decreed a location “within two miles of the Raccoon fork of the Des Moines River
Des Moines River
The Des Moines River is a tributary river of the Mississippi River, approximately long to its farther headwaters, in the upper Midwestern United States...
.” The exact spot was chosen when Wilson Alexander Scott gave the state nine and one-half acres where the Capitol now stands. Final legislative approval for the construction of a permanent statehouse was given on April 8, 1870.
A three-story brick building served as a temporary Capitol and was in use for 30 years, until destroyed by fires. But in the meantime, the permanent Capitol was being planned and built.
In 1870, the General Assembly established a Capitol commission to employ an architect, choose a plan for a building (not to cost more than $1,500,000), and proceed with the work, but
only by using funds available without increasing the tax rate.
John C. Cochrane
John C. Cochrane
John Crombie Cochrane was a prominent architect in the 19th century practicing in Chicago, Illinois. He formed Cochrane and Garnsey with George O. Garnsey.He designed numerous buildings, including:...
and Alfred H. Piquenard
Alfred H. Piquenard
Alfred H. Piquenard was an American architect. Born in France, he studied at Paris' Ecole Centrale des Arts et Manufactures before emigrating to the United States as part of the Icarian movement. After leaving the Icarians, he began work as an architect. He apprenticed with George I. Barnett in...
were designated as architects, and a cornerstone was laid
on November 23, 1871. However, much of the original stone deteriorated through waterlogging and severe weather and had to be replaced. The cornerstone was relaid on September 29, 1873.
Although the building could not be constructed for $1,500,000 as planned, the Cochrane and Piquenard design was retained and modifications were undertaken. Cochrane resigned in 1872,
but Piquenard continued until his death in 1876. He was succeeded by two of his assistants, M.E. Bell and W.F. Hackney.
The building commission made its final report on June 29, 1886, with a total cost of $2,873,294.59. The audit showed that only $3.77 was unaccounted for in the 15 years of construction.
Architecture
The architectural design of the Capitol, rectangular in form, with great windows and high ceilings, follows the traditional pattern of 19th century planning for public buildings. A modified and refined RenaissanceRenaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
style gives the impression of strength and dignity combined with utility.
The commanding feature is the central towering dome
Dome
A dome is a structural element of architecture that resembles the hollow upper half of a sphere. Dome structures made of various materials have a long architectural lineage extending into prehistory....
constructed of iron and brick and covered with 23 carat gold. The gold leafing was replaced in 1964-1965 at a cost of $79,938. The dome is surmounted by a lookout lantern that may be reached by long and winding stairs, and it terminates in a finial that is 275 feet above the ground floor. The rotunda
Rotunda (architecture)
A rotunda is any building with a circular ground plan, sometimes covered by a dome. It can also refer to a round room within a building . The Pantheon in Rome is a famous rotunda. A Band Rotunda is a circular bandstand, usually with a dome...
beneath the dome is 67 feet in diameter. Four smaller domes of simple design rise from the four corners of the Capitol.
The pediment over the front entrance discloses a fine piece of allegorical sculpture.
Exterior
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
from Iowa, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, and Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. The substructure is of dark Iowa stone topped by a heavy course of wari-colored granite cut from glacial boulders gathered from the Iowa prairie. The superstructure, or main part of the building, is of bluff colored sandstone from quarries along the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
in Missouri.
Both front and back porticoes have pediments supported by six Corinthian columns each. The dome
Dome
A dome is a structural element of architecture that resembles the hollow upper half of a sphere. Dome structures made of various materials have a long architectural lineage extending into prehistory....
of the capitol is gilded with tissue-paper thin sheets of pure 23-karat gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
, with a protective layer sealing the gold from the weather, and the top of its finial peak is 275 feet (83.8 m) above the ground. From its opening during 1884 until 1924, it was the tallest building in Des Moines, and likely the entire state.
Interior
The beauty, dignity, and arrangement of the interior become apparent as a visitor stands under the dome of the first floor. Broad, lofty corridors extend west, north, and south. Walls are highly decorated and the rooms and chambers of the capitol have a wide variety of Iowa wood as well as imported marble. Twenty-nine types of imported and domestic marble were used in the interior; and the wood used — walnut, cherry, catalpa, butternut, and oak — was nearly all from Iowa forests.The marble grand staircase between the second and third floors is to the east and is the focal point of the building. Suites opening from the south corridor are those of the Governor, Auditor of State, and Treasurer of State. The historical Supreme Court Chamber is to the north; the Secretary of State’s suite is to the west. The grand staircase ascends to a landing and divides north and south to bring visitors to the floor above, where the House of Representatives is on the north, the Senate is on the South, and the Law Library on the west.
The ground floor houses a cafeteria and administrative offices.
Art
Around the rotunda on the frieze above the columns is the famous Abraham LincolnAbraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
quotation: “This nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”
Extending the full width of the east wall over the staircase is the great mural painting Westward, an idealized representation of the coming of the people who made Iowa. The painting was completed shortly after the turn of the century. Edwin H. Blashfield, the artist, wrote of it: “The main idea of the picture is a symbolical presentation of the Pioneers led by the spirits of Civilization and Enlightenment to the conquest by cultivation of the Great West.”
Displays
The battle flags carried by the Iowa regiments in various wars are preserved in niches on themain floor: Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, 1; Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
, 13; World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, 26. In the west hall is a plaque done by Nellie V. Walker in commemoration of the work of Iowa women in the fight for political equality and a memorial to those Iowans killed in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.
Also in the west hall is a model of the Battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
USS Iowa
USS Iowa (BB-61)
USS Iowa was the lead ship of her class of battleship and the fourth in the United States Navy to be named in honor of the 29th state...
on loan from the U.S. Department of the Navy
United States Department of the Navy
The Department of the Navy of the United States of America was established by an Act of Congress on 30 April 1798, to provide a government organizational structure to the United States Navy and, from 1834 onwards, for the United States Marine Corps, and when directed by the President, of the...
. The model is 18 feet 7 inches long and weighs about 1,350 pounds. It is a perfect scale model, 1/4 inch equaling 1 foot. The Iowa was the lead ship of her class of battleship and the fourth in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
to be named in honor of the 29th state. It is also the last lead ship of any class of United States battleships, and was the only ship of her class to have served in the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The Iowa is currently berthed with the National Defense Reserve Fleet
National Defense Reserve Fleet
The National Defense Reserve Fleet consists of "mothballed" ships, mostly merchant vessels, that can be activated within 20 to 120 days to provide shipping for the United States of America during national emergencies, either military or non-military, such as commercial shipping crises.The NDRF is...
at Suisun Bay, near San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
.
In the south hall across from the Governor’s office is a collection of porcelain
Porcelain
Porcelain is a ceramic material made by heating raw materials, generally including clay in the form of kaolin, in a kiln to temperatures between and...
doll
Doll
A doll is a model of a human being, often used as a toy for children. Dolls have traditionally been used in magic and religious rituals throughout the world, and traditional dolls made of materials like clay and wood are found in the Americas, Asia, Africa and Europe. The earliest documented dolls...
s representing the 41 Iowa First Ladies
First Lady
First Lady or First Gentlemanis the unofficial title used in some countries for the spouse of an elected head of state.It is not normally used to refer to the spouse or partner of a prime minister; the husband or wife of the British Prime Minister is usually informally referred to as prime...
in replicas of their inaugural gowns. Where actual descriptions of the gowns could not be found, they are typical of the period. As future First Ladies take their place, they, too, will be represented.
Restoration
In 1904, when fire swept through the areas that now house the Supreme Court and Iowa House of Representatives, major restoration was performed and documented, including electrical lighting, elevators, and a telephone system. Little information is available about who performed the actual restoration during these early years.The earlier efforts to preserve the Capitol mostly dealt with maintaining and upgrading the
building’s interior. It was not until 1965, when the dome was regilded, that a large-scale preservation effort and investment was made to the building’s exterior.
By the early 1980s, the exterior of the Capitol had noticeably deteriorated. Sandstone pieces
had begun falling from the building, prompting the installation of steel canopies at all entrances of the building to protect pedestrians. Decorative stone, whose deterioration had first been documented as early as the turn of the century, had eroded further.
Actual construction of the exterior restoration plan began in the spring of 1983 and was completed in nine phases. Phase 9 work began in the spring of 1998 and the entire
Capitol exterior restoration was completed in the fall of 2001, at a cost of $41 million.