The Wisconsin State Capitol Building is a Beaux Arts-style building located in Madison, Wisconsin. The building was designed by architect George B. Post and was constructed from 1906-1917. It serves as the home for the Wisconsin State Assembly, the Wisconsin State Senate, the Wisconsin Supreme Court, and the Office of the Governor of Wisconsin. The building sits on the site of the previous Wisconsin State Capitol, which burned down in 1904. The new building was constructed to provide much-needed space to the State Government.
The first State Capitol of Wisconsin was in the village of Belmont, Wisconsin. The legislation met in a hastily constructed wood-frame building before deciding on Madison as the State Capitol. The new capital city held further sessions of legislatures in the much better-developed Mississippi River port town of Burlington until a capitol building could be completed in Madison. Upon Burlington becoming part of the new Iowa Territory, the state legislature moved to a relatively humble Greek Revival-style building constructed in 1837, which was most similar to Old State Capitol in North Carolina and the Old State House in Springfield, Illinois.
The previous Wisconsin State Capitol, a Classical Revival-style structure with Romanesque Revival elements, replaced the previous building in stages between 1857 and 1869. The Capitol building was modified and extended in 1882 with new wings that increased the Classical Revival aspects of the building and downplayed the Romanesque Revival elements. The building burned down in February of 1904, with the north wing of the building, built in 1882, as the only portion that survived. The present building was built on the site of the previous building and was constructed in stages.
The Wisconsin State Capitol building is clad in Bethel white granite sourced from Vermont, with an additional 42 types of stone from a total of eight states and six countries being utilized on the interior of the building. The dome is the largest in the world to be entirely clad in granite and is the tallest building in Madison. The building underwent a major renovation in the 1970s and later projects between 1988 and 2002 restoring the building while updating the building’s systems and functions for the modern needs of the state government.
The exterior of the building’s wings feature porticoes on the ends with Corinthian columns, arched windows on the third floor, rusticated bases with entrance doors and decorative keystones, decorative reliefs featuring festoons over the windows on the porticoes, cornices with modillions and dentils, and pediments with sculptural reliefs, which have different symbolism embodied by their design. The sides of the wings feature simpler cornices with dentils, pilasters, and recessed window openings with arched openings at the ground floor, windows with decorative pedimented headers on the second floor, arched windows on the third floor, and two small two-over-two windows on the fourth floor.
At the center of the building in the inside corners of the Greek cross, are semicircular portions of the facade with semicircular two-story Ionic porticos with large terraces and grand staircases featuring decorative copper lampposts, decorative stone balustrades, concealed entrances to the ground floor underneath the terraces, and three doorways on the upper level, with drums surrounded by buttresses featuring small windows and domed roofs above the balustrade on the fifth floor. In the center of the building is the rotunda, which is topped with a large dome that rises from a tall base. The building is known for its unique 45-degree angle orientation relative to the edges of Capitol Square.
In conclusion, the Wisconsin State Capitol building is a symbol of Wisconsin and a prominent landmark in the city of Madison. Its unique architecture and history make it an important part of Wisconsin’s culture and heritage. The building has undergone several renovations and restorations over the years to maintain its beauty and practicality. Today, it serves as the hub of Wisconsin’s state government, and its legacy will continue to inspire future generations.