Illinois State Capitol

Illinois State Capitol
National Register of Historic Places
The Illinois State Capitol
location	Capitol Avenue and Second Street, Springfield , Illinois , Illinois
Coordinates	39 ° 47 '54 "  N , 89 ° 39' 16"  W Coordinates: 39 ° 47 '54 "  N , 89 ° 39' 16"  W.
Built	1868
architect	Alfred H. Piquenard et al. a.
Architectural style	Second Empire
NRHP number	85003178
The NRHP added	November 21, 1985

The Illinois State Capitol is located in Springfield , Sangamon County , Illinois , United States .

The Illinois Congress sits in the Capitol. It consists of two chambers.

• Illinois House of Representatives (118 members)
• Illinois Senate (59 members)

The current building

Today's sixth Illinois State Capitol was built between 1868 and 1888. The construction costs amounted to 4.5 million US dollars . The building was given a cross-shaped floor plan. It is 81.70 m wide and 116 m long. The zinc-covered central dome tower rises above the crossing . With a height of 110 m, it is the tallest State Capitol that is not a high-rise, and even towers over the Capitol in Washington, DC (88 m). A Springfield city policy states that no building in the city can be taller than the State Capitol.

Look into the dome

The interior of the dome is adorned at the base with a frieze depicting the history of Illinois. It's made of plaster of paris, but the paint makes it look like bronze. The lead-glazed skylight adorns the historic Illinois seal . A future installation of elevators was taken into account during construction.

In the surrounding green area there are several monuments, u. a. for Abraham Lincoln, who helped move the capital to Springfield, a replica of the Liberty Bell and one each for police officers, workers and firefighters who perished on duty.

Previous buildings

The first state capitol in Kaskaskia

The Old State Capitol in Springfield

Today’s State Capitol is the sixth since the state or territory of Illinois was founded. The first was in Kaskaskia , a Mississippi village founded in 1703 by French fur traders . With the establishment of the Illinois Territory in 1809, the government moved into a simple two-story house for rent. Much of the settlement fell victim to the Mississippi floods in 1844 before being completely swept away by the river in 1881.

In 1818 Illinois became the 21st state to join the Union. Kaskaskia was far in the south of the state, on the border with what was then Missouri Territory . However, they wanted to move the capital further inland. About 130 km northeast of Kaskaskia the new capital Vandalia was finally founded in 1819 and with the completion of the new State Capitol it became the seat of government in 1820. After a fire in 1823, the now third Illinois State Capitol was built by 1824.

Shortly after its completion, there were renewed calls for the capital to be relocated. A vote did not produce a clear result. It was not until 1836 that a few young lawyers, including Abraham Lincoln, campaigned for the capital to be moved to Springfield . In order to maintain its status as the capital, the third state capitol in Vandalia was replaced by a new, fourth state capitol - in vain. In February 1837, despite all efforts, it was voted to move the capital to Springfield. Of the total of six State Capitols in the State of Illinois, Vandalia State House is the oldest preserved and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985 .

In Springfield, the fifth state capitol, now known as the Old State Capitol, was built in Springfield by 1840 , which served as such until 1876, then as a courthouse until 1969 and finally as a museum today.

Web links

Commons : Illinois State Capitol  - Collection of Pictures, Videos, and Audio Files

Individual evidence

1. ^ National Register Information System . In: National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service .
2. ^ The Illinois State Capitol
3. ^ History of Kaskaskia
4. ↑ Illinois Historic Preservation Agency ( Memento of the original from April 2, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.