The Wisconsin State Capitol Building, located in Madison, Wisconsin, was built between 1906 and 1917. Designed by architect George B. Post, the Beaux Arts-style building replaced the previous State Capitol building that had burned down in 1904. It is the third building to occupy the site and the fourth state Capitol building since Wisconsin earned statehood in 1848. The building, which is over 280 feet tall to the top of the statue on the dome, features four five-story wings that radiate from a central rotunda. The exterior is clad in Bethel white granite, with an additional 42 types of stone from eight states and six countries used on the interior.
The Wisconsin State Capitol houses the Wisconsin Supreme Court, the Office of the Governor of Wisconsin, the Wisconsin State Assembly, and the Wisconsin State Senate. The first State Capitol building was constructed in Belmont, Wisconsin in 1836, with the legislature meeting in a hastily constructed wood-frame building. The state government later moved to Burlington, Iowa before a capitol building was completed in Madison that featured doric columns and rusticated fieldstone. A larger Capitol building was completed in stages between 1857 and 1869, with Romanesque Revival elements and a dome inspired by the United Capitol Building. Wings were added in 1882 to increase the building’s size using Classical Revival aspects.
By the turn of the 20th century, the old Capitol had become too small for the state government’s needs, and plans were made to replace it. In 1904, a gas jet ignited a newly varnished ceiling of the previous building, and the building burned to the ground, with only the north wing surviving. Construction of the new Capitol commenced in 1906 and was completed in 1917, with each wing completed one at a time to provide space for the state government during the construction period. The north wing was the last to be built, and the central rotunda and dome were built last, as they serve a more symbolic and less utilitarian purpose than the rest of the building.
In the 1970s, the building underwent a major renovation that covered up many original features, but later projects between 1988 and 2002 restored the building while making updates for modern use. The exterior of the building’s wings feature porticoes on the ends with corinthian columns, arched windows on the third floor, and rusticated bases with entrance doors and decorative keystones. The sides of the wings feature simpler cornices with dentils, pilasters, and recessed window openings. The sculpture on the portico pediments varies, with several sculptors creating pieces with different symbols. The center of the building features a rotunda topped with a large dome rising from a tall base, with semi-circular two-story ionic porticos and large terraces on the inside corners of the greek cross.
The building is 45-degrees oriented relative to the edges of Capitol Square, and the wings are aligned with the compass directions and radial streets. The dome, the largest in the world to be entirely clad in granite, is the tallest building in Madison, and a state law passed in 1990 limits building heights within a one-mile radius to preserve the visibility of the building. A statue sits atop the dome, representing the state of Wisconsin, with the outstretched arm of the statue representing the state motto “Forward”.
Overall, the Wisconsin State Capitol Building is a significant historical landmark and a vital part of Wisconsin’s cultural heritage, serving as the center of the Wisconsin State Government’s work and a focal point for the state’s civic life.