The Wisconsin State Capitol Building is a Beaux Arts-style building designed by George B. Post and completed between 1906 and 1917. It is the fourth state capitol to house the state government since its establishment in 1848, with the previous building burning down in 1904. The building houses both the Wisconsin State Assembly and the Wisconsin State Senate, as well as the Wisconsin Supreme Court and the Office of the Governor of Wisconsin. The building is 284 feet tall to the top of the statue on the dome, which was sculpted in 1920 by Daniel Chester French, representing the state of Wisconsin. The exterior of the building is clad in Bethel white granite, and the dome is the largest in the world to be entirely clad in granite.
The building has a greek cross footprint with four wings that are aligned with the compass directions and radial streets following the compass directions that slice through the surrounding street grid. The building is at a 45-degree angle to compass directions, roughly paralleling the shorelines of nearby Lake Mendota and Lake Monona. The building underwent a major renovation in the 1970s and later projects between 1988 and 2002 that restored 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. On the east wing, the sculpture known as Law, created by Karl Bitter, is located on the portico pediment. On the west wing, which houses the chamber of the Wisconsin Assembly, is a sculpture known as Agriculture, also created by Karl Bitter. On the north wing, which is home to a hearing chamber, is the sculpture known as Virtues and Traits of Character, created by Adolph Alexander Weinman. On the south wing, which houses the chamber of the Wisconsin Senate, is a sculpture known as Wisdom and Learning of the World, created by Attilio Piccirilli.
In the center of the building is the rotunda, which is topped with a large dome that rises from a tall base. The dome is the tallest building in Madison, and a state law passed in 1990 stipulates that any building within a one-mile radius of the capitol is limited in height to the base of the columns of the dome, which stands at 187 feet. The rotunda features a mural by Edwin H. Blashfield depicting the healing springs of Wisconsin and the state’s agricultural enterprises. The interior of the building features a grand marble staircase leading up to the second floor, which is home to the Assembly and Senate chambers.
In conclusion, the Wisconsin State Capitol Building is an iconic building in Madison, Wisconsin, and is a symbol of the state’s history and government. With its Beaux Arts-style and Greek cross footprint, the building is a unique and beautiful structure that is visited by thousands of people every year. The building underwent a major renovation in the 1970s and later projects between 1988 and 2002 that restored the building while updating the building’s systems and functions for the modern needs of the state government. The building is a must-see for anyone visiting Madison or interested in the history and architecture of Wisconsin.