Iowa State Capitol

Infobox Historic building
name=Iowa State Capitol

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caption=Capitol in 2003 after regilding
map_type=
latitude=
longitude=
location_town=Des Moines, Iowa
location_country=United States
architect=
client=State of Iowa
engineer=
construction_start_date=1871
completion_date=1886
date_demolished=
cost=$2.9 million
structural_system=
style=
size=330,000 sq ft.

The Iowa State Capitol is the state capitol building of the U.S. state of Iowa. Housing the Iowa General Assembly, it is located in the state capital of Des Moines at East 9th Street and Grand Avenue. The building was constructed between 1871 and 1886 [http://www.legis.state.ia.us/Pubinfo/Tour/] .

For thirty-five years before construction of the current building started, a three story brick building housed the Iowa legislature. Today's capitol is on the same grounds, and is the only five domed state capitol in the country. The building is brick with limestone from Iowa, Missouri, Minnesota, Ohio, and Illinois. Iowa stone is the foundation for the many porticoes of the building. The front and back ones have pediments supported by six corinthian columns each. The dome of the capitol is gilded in tissue-paper thin sheets of pure 23-karat gold, with a protective layer sealing the gold from the elements, and is convert|275|ft|m tall. Restoration work was done by Conrad Schmitt Studios in 2003. The four corner wings have the four smaller domes on top of them. The capitol grounds used to be only a four block area, but in 1913 the legislature expanded it by 84 acres for $3 million, which was eventually used for other state buildings.

The ground floor houses a cafeteria and offices, the first floor has the governor's and other state official's offices. The second floor has the senate and house chambers, committee rooms, and the state law library. The rotunda brings light into the basement through a circular opening, as in many other state capitols. The rotunda now houses a number of large pieces of artwork. In 1902, renovations installed electrical lighting, elevators, and a telephone system. However, a workman started a fire that destroyed the north wing, including the House of Representatives and part of the Supreme Court. The rooms and chambers of the capitol have a wide variety of Iowa wood and marble.

External links

* [http://www.legis.state.ia.us/Pubinfo/Tour/ Iowa General Assembly - Capitol Tour]