Minnesota State Capitol

Minnesota State Capitol
National Register of Historic Places
location	Saint Paul , Minnesota
Coordinates	44 ° 57 '15.5 "  N , 93 ° 6' 8"  W Coordinates: 44 ° 57 '15.5 "  N , 93 ° 6' 8"  W.
Built	1896-1902
architect	Cass Gilbert
Architectural style	Beaux Arts Architecture , Neo-Renaissance
NRHP number	72000681
The NRHP added	February 23, 1972

Dome with the gilded quadriga

The Minnesota State Capitol is the seat of the House of Representatives and the Senate of Minnesota in Saint Paul . In addition to the state legislature , the Capitol also houses the offices of the Attorney General and the Governor .

Today's Capitol is the third in the state's history. The first was destroyed by fire in 1881, the newly built and completed in 1883 capitol soon appeared too small, so that the decision to build a new capitol was made. The new building was designed by Cass Gilbert based on the model of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome . It has a marble dome with a diameter of 27 meters.

The cost of construction was 4.5 million US dollars. The completed building was opened on January 2, 1905. As part of the centenary celebrations in 2005, plans were announced to renovate the Capitol for around $ 65 million.

Above the south entrance is a gold-plated quadriga , which bears the name "The Progress of the State". It was designed by Daniel Chester French and Edward Clark Potter and installed over the entrance in 1906. It depicts four horses held by two women and a man. While the four horses stand for the four elements earth, air, fire and water, the women represent industry and agriculture . Together they represent modern civilization . The man, equipped with a sign with engraved Minnesota lettering and a cornucopia , is said to represent prosperity and progress .

literature

• Denis Gardner: Our Minnesota State Capitol: From Groundbreaking Through Restoration. Minnesota Historical Society Press, St. Paul 2017, ISBN 978-1-68134-041-8 .

Individual evidence

1. ^ National Register Information System . In: National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service . Retrieved March 15, 2006.

Web links

Commons : Minnesota State Capitol  - collection of pictures, videos, and audio files

• Further information of the Minnesota Historical Society (English)