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The Wisconsin State Capitol is a historic building that was built in 1906-1917 to house the state house of representatives, state senate, and offices for the Wisconsin State Government. Designed in a Beaux Arts-style by George B. Post, it replaced the previous state capitol, which burned down in 1904. The present building stands at 284 feet tall and has a greek cross footprint with four five-story wings that are aligned with the compass directions and radial streets following the compass directions that slice through the surrounding street grid, which is at a 45-degree angle to compass directions. The building underwent a major renovation in the 1970s and later projects between 1988 and 2002 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. The building also has a large dome that rises from a tall base and is the largest in the world to be entirely clad in granite. The Wisconsin State Capitol is a symbol of Wisconsin’s history and cultural heritage and is an important landmark that attracts visitors from around the world.

Posted by w_lemay on 2023-03-08 12:50:58

The Wisconsin State Capitol Building was built in the Beaux Arts style between 1906 and 1917 to house the Wisconsin State Government. Designed by George B. Post, it replaced the previous state capitol, which was destroyed by a fire in 1904. The building’s four five-story wings are aligned with the compass directions, and the radial streets slice through the surrounding street grid, which is at a 45-degree angle to compass directions, paralleling the shorelines of nearby Lake Mendota and Lake Monona. The building has a unique 45-degree angle orientation relative to the edges of Capitol Square, and it is the tallest building in Madison at 284 feet (86 meters) to the top of the statue on the dome.

The exterior of the building is clad in Bethel white granite and features porticoes on the wings’ ends with corinthian columns, arched windows on the third floor, rusticated bases with entrance doors, decorative keystones, reliefs with festoons over the windows on the porticoes, cornices with modillions and dentils, and pediments with sculptural reliefs. 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, two small two-over-two windows on the fourth floor, and a recessed fifth floor featuring small paired windows, hidden behind a balustrade that runs around the building’s entirety minus the ends of the wings.

The upper roofs of the wings are low-slope with front gabled portions in the middle punctured by skylights. The roof is almost entirely enclosed by a parapet. In the center of the building are semi-circular portions of the facade with semi-circular 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 also features sculptures created by several sculptors, embodying different symbolism embodied by their designs. The east wing, which is home to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, features the sculpture known as Law, created by Karl Bitter. The west wing, which houses the chamber of the Wisconsin Assembly, features a sculpture known as Agriculture, also created by Karl Bitter. The north wing, which is home to a hearing chamber, features the sculpture known as Virtues and Traits of Character, created by Adolph Alexander Weinman. And 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.

The building’s construction focused on completing each wing one at a time to provide space to the state government with as much fiscal efficiency as possible due to financial limitations. The north wing was built last to allow the remaining portion of the previous capitol to serve as space for the state government during the construction period. The central rotunda and dome were also built after the other three wings had been completed 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 added modern features to the interior while covering up many original features. Later projects between 1988 and 2002 restored the building while updating the building’s systems and functions for the modern needs of the state government.

Overall, the Wisconsin State Capitol Building is an impressive structure that is both functional and symbolic of the state of Wisconsin’s pride and history. Its unique design and ornate details make it a must-see for visitors to the city of Madison.

Posted by w_lemay on 2023-03-08 12:50:48

The Wisconsin State Capitol Building in Madison, Wisconsin, was built from 1906-1917 in the Beaux Arts style and was designed by George B. Post. This building replaced the previous State Capitol Building that had burnt down in February of 1904, which had replaced another building that had become inadequate for the growing population and government by the 1850s. The present building has a Greek cross footprint with four five-story wings that are aligned with the compass directions and radial streets. The building is located at a unique 45-degree angle orientation relative to the edges of Capitol Square and most buildings on adjacent streets. The exterior of the 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 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 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. 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, two small two-over-two windows on the fourth floor, and a recessed fifth floor features small paired windows, hidden behind a balustrade that runs around the entirety of the building minus the ends of the wings, concealing a low-slope roof at the setbacks on the sides of the wings and above the corner porticoes.

At the center of the building in the inside corners of the Greek cross are semi-circular portions of the façade with semi-circular 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 underwent a major renovation in the 1970s that added modern features to the interior and covered up many original features, with 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 dome of the building is the tallest in Madison, with a state law passed in 1990 stipulating 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 building is a significant feature of the architectural heritage of Madison, Wisconsin, and is an important destination for visitors to the city. It is a symbol of the state of Wisconsin and its proud history, as well as an important center of government and civic life in the state. The building’s unique design and location make it a landmark in the city and an important example of early 20th-century American architecture. Visitors to the building can tour the interior and learn about its history and design, as well as visit the many important governmental and judicial spaces housed within the building.

Posted by w_lemay on 2023-03-08 12:50:37

The Wisconsin State Capitol is a Beaux Arts-style building designed by George B. Post and was built between 1906 and 1917. It is the third building to be built on the current site after the earlier two were demolished, one in 1837 and the other in 1904. The current State Capitol houses the Wisconsin State Assembly, the Wisconsin State Senate, the Wisconsin Supreme Court, and the Office of the Governor of Wisconsin. The building stands at a height of 284 feet (86 meters) with the statue on the dome sculpted by Daniel Chester French to represent Wisconsin. The building underwent a major renovation in the 1970s with later restoration projects between 1988 and 2002. The exterior of the building mainly features 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.

The building is located in Madison, Wisconsin, at the center of Capitol Square. Its greek cross footprint features four five-story wings aligned with the compass directions and radial streets following the compass directions slicing through the surrounding street grid. The wings’ exterior mainly features 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.

The rotunda sits at the center of the building with a large dome rising from a tall base. The dome is the largest in the world to be entirely clad in granite and over 42 types of stone from eight states and six countries are used on the building’s interior.

The building has a unique 45-degree angle orientation relative to the edges of Capitol Square and most buildings on adjacent streets. It is also the tallest building in Madison, with a state law passed in 1990 regarding any building within one mile which prohibits them from exceeding the base of the columns of the dome, which stand at 187 feet.

Overall, the Wisconsin State Capitol is a significant building with a rich history that continues to serve as a hub for Wisconsin’s government.

Posted by w_lemay on 2023-03-08 12:51:04

The Wisconsin State Capitol Building is an iconic landmark located in Madison, Wisconsin, USA. Built in the Beaux Arts style between 1906 and 1917, it replaced the previous state capitol, which burned down in February 1904. The current capitol 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. It is the fourth state capitol to house the state government since the state’s establishment in 1848 and is the third building to sit on the present site.

The first capital of Wisconsin was in the village of Belmont, Wisconsin, with the first legislature meeting in a hastily constructed wood-frame building. The legislature later designated the future site of Madison as the state capitol, holding further sessions of the legislature in the much better-developed Mississippi River port town of Burlington (now in Iowa) until a capitol building could be completed in Madison. Upon Burlington becoming part of the new Iowa Territory, the state legislature moved to a log and stone building on the present site of the state capitol, a relatively humble Greek Revival-style building constructed in 1837. It was most similar to the Old State House in North Carolina and the Old State Capitol in Springfield, Illinois, though these two similar buildings were built almost entirely of stone blocks rather than fieldstone.

The original building was demolished and replaced with a larger, Classical Revival-style structure with Romanesque Revival elements constructed in stages between 1857 and 1869. This building was oriented with the semi-circular original porticoes aligned with State Street and King Street, with the wings being oriented towards both sections of Hamilton Street, though the building appeared rather small within the large parklike expanse of Capitol Square. By the turn of the 20th Century, the old Capitol had become inadequate for the growing needs of Wisconsin, which had become wealthy, industrialized, and heavily populated by that point, so study of a replacement capitol building began in 1903.

The capitol building burned down in February 1904, and the entire structure had to be replaced. The new capitol building was built on the site of the previous building, and construction was done one wing at a time to provide space to the state government with as much fiscal efficiency as possible due to financial limitations. The present building was the last work of George B. Post, who died before the building was completed.

The exterior of the building is clad in Bethel white granite, sourced from Vermont. An additional 42 types of stone, sourced from eight states and six countries, were 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. It has a greek cross footprint with four five-story wings that are aligned with the compass directions and radial streets following the compass directions that slice through the surrounding street grid. This places the building at a unique 45-degree angle orientation relative to the edges of Capitol Square and most buildings on adjacent streets.

The building underwent a major renovation in the 1970s that added modern features to the interior and covered up many original features. Later projects between 1988 and 2002 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 features 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 created by several sculptors.

The center of the building is the rotunda, which is topped with a large dome that rises from a tall base. The dome was sculpted in 1920 by Daniel Chester French as a personification of the state of Wisconsin, with the outstretched arm of the statue representing the state motto, “Forward.”

The Wisconsin State Capitol Building is a significant landmark in Madison, Wisconsin, representing the state’s rich history and cultural heritage. As a functioning government building, it continues to serve as the seat of government for the state of Wisconsin.

Posted by w_lemay on 2023-03-08 12:50:23