Cupolas of Capitalism
State Capitol Building Histories

States from W to Z
View States: A-B,  C-E,  F-IL,  IN-K,  L-ME,  MI-MO,  N-NE,  NO-O,  P-S,  T-V,  W-Z

Wisconsin State Capitol Building, 1917. George W. Post, architect. Photo courtesy of Les Partridge.

View of the Wisconsin State Capitol Building.
Photograph courtesy of Les Partridge, 2001

States with Capitol Buildings featuring prominent exterior cupolas are highlighted in yellow.  Historical information appearing on this page comes from the same sources acknowledged on the first page of this gallery.

Click on any picture to see an enlarged version, or to view the other historic images available in the Cupolas of Capitalism Picture Gallery.
 
STATE CITY STATE CAPITOL BUILDING DATE(s) / ARCHITECT(s) BLDG. DESCRIPTION(s), IMAGE(s) and SITE LINK(s)
Washington Olympia (Old and New Capitol Buildings) 1892, Thurston County courthouse designed and built / Willis Ritchie.

1893-94, New State Capitol designed and foundation begun but stopped due to lack of funds, Ernest Flagg.

1901-05, State purchases Thurston County courthouse for use as the State Capitol, remodeling it and adding a second wing / Willis Ritchie.  Now called the Old State Capitol, housing the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) and the State Board of Education.

1911, architect Ernest Flagg proposes a campus of capitol buildings.  National design competition for the campus is held and won by architects Walter R. Wilder and Harry K. White.  Their Temple of Justice is the first building completed (about 1920).

1919-28, Legislative Building built as part of the capitol campus plan / Walter R. Wilder and Harry K. White.  Constructed on top of Flagg's 1893 foundations.  Work above ground began in 1922.

1928, fire gutted old capitol's central tower and 4th floor of west and connecting wings.

1939, new concrete floors installed in east wing of old capitol / ? Architect.

1949, earthquake destroys major sections of the old capitol, including 10 of the original 12 conical shaped towers, the House chamber and east wing galleries, and central rotunda.  It also damaged the dome in the new capitol and forced the replacement of its cupola.

1965-72, seismic upgrades to new capitol after 1965 earthquake / Victor Gray & Associates.

1981-83, old capitol renovated and seismically upgraded / Tonkin, Hoyne, Lokan Architecture & Urban Design.

Feb. 28, 2001, the 6.8 magnitude Nisqually earthquake rocks capitol complex and damages the the Legislative Building and its magnificent dome.  Hardy Holzman Pfieffer architects, who had begun in 2000 to develop a proposal for seismic upgrades and renovation, worked with the state and engineers in an attempt to reopen the building in the following weeks.  The earthquake damage would prove too severe.  The building would remain closed to the general public until December of 2004.  Restoration efforts are scheduled to continue for several more years.

2001-2004, capitol rotunda restoration and building renovations / NBBJ architects (initially) and SRG Partnership (at completion), with Einhorn Yaffee Prescott as historic architect.		 Old Washington State Capitol Building. Image courtesy of Gene Thomas.
Richardsonian Romanesque Old Capitol was originally 150 feet high with a central octagonal clock tower (now gone) and 12 smaller conical shaped towers (2 remaining).  Offsite, a photo essay is available from the OSPI website.  The University of Washington Library offers historic photos of the building in their Digital Collection.

Washington State Capitol Building Complex, showing the domed Legislative Building in the center. Historic postcard image courtesy of Chris Miller.
Beaux Arts style New State Capitol Building (Legislative Building).  Features a central circular drum tower with dome and cupola.  287 feet tall.  More info offsite with this official site offering general building information and a picture tour.  The Washington State Legislature site offers a fun Capitol Campus Trivia Game, rewarding correct answers with handsome images of the capitol building.  More images may be found in the University of Washington Library's Digital Collection.  The SRG Partnership website offers photos and a brief project description.
West Virginia Charleston 1924-32, Capitol designed and built / Cass Gilbert.  East wing built from 1924-25, west wing from 1926-27, and central section from 1930-32.

2004-05, Dome and cupola restoration, structural repairs, and other building renovations.  Reversed a 1980's remodel that had regilded the entire dome, and restored the dome's original partially gilded appearance / Swanke Hayden Connell Architects.		 20th century photo showing a front aerial view of the West Virginia State Capitol complex. From the Library of Congress's Historic American Buildings Survey.
Renaissance Revival capitol building with central circular drum tower capped with golden dome and cupola.  292 feet tall.  More info offsite with this official virtual tour, a photo essay, and fact sheet.  Unofficial sites offer a photo essay, from the Glass, Steel, and Stone website; a virtual walkthrough of the rotunda from Rick Lee; a photo album, from Edward Crim; and a photo essay discussing the dome, from Valerie Mockaitis.
Wisconsin Madison 1906-17, Capitol designed and built / George Browne Post and sons.  West wing built from 1906-09, east wing from 1908-10, south wing from 1910-13, north wing from 1914-17, and central rotunda and dome from 1911-15.

1988-2001, major restoration / East Wing Architects LLC (a joint venture of Kahler Slater, Inc., and the preservation architect, Isthmus Architecture, Inc.)		 General view of the Wisconsin State Capitol Building. Courtesy of Pat and Debbi Furrie, from June of 2003.
Beaux Arts style State Capitol Building features a central circular drum tower capped with a dome, cupola, and a statue called Wisconsin.  Approx. 285 feet tall.  More info offsite from the Wisconsin government site with an official virtual tour, building photos, and an illustrated history.  The state legislature's online bluebook also includes a very detailed, illustrated history of the capitol building that is split into parts one and two.  A gallery of historic capitol pictures is available at the Wisconsin Electronic Reader site.  Other historic pictures of Madison and its capitol are available at the Historic Madison website.
Wyoming Cheyenne 1886-90, Capitol designed and built / David W. Gibbs.  Central portion and dome completed in 1888, small east and west wings built from 1888-90.

1915-17, House and Senate chambers added / William Dubois.

1950's, exterior sandstone surfaces covered with stucco / ? Architect.

1974-80, building renovated / ? Architect(s).		 Historic photo showing an oblique view of the Wyoming State Capitol. From the Library of Congress's Historic American Buildings Survey.
French Renaissance Revival capitol building.  Features a central circular drum tower capped with gold gilded dome and cupola.  Stained glass inner dome.  146 feet tall.  More info offsite with photo essays from the State of  Wyoming Department of Administration and Information.  Other sites include a photo gallery from Edward Crim, a short photo essay from Glass, Steel and Stone; an illustrated article from Planners Web; and building info and a hi-res photo from the Cheyenne Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.

View States: A-B,  C-E,  F-IL,  IN-K,  L-ME,  MI-MO,
N-NE,  NO-O,  P-S,  T-V,  W-Z,  or Back to Building Galleries

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