Dome Dominance in US State Capitols

[TampAGS]

As the USA grew from the eastern colonies gradually adding states westward, it is clear that state governments saw the dome of the US Capitol building as the American architectural icon of choice. "Choice" because most states chose to emulate the structure to varying degrees in the construction of their own state capitols by incorporating a central dome in their designs. No longer relegated to religious buildings, the dome gained a dominant presence in America's skylines.

Why did so many states chose a dome vs. a spire (such as in Philadelphia's Independence Hall), clock tower, or other stately options? Of the 50 state buildings, all but 11 utilize a dome in some capacity (don't quote me.. I may have counted an extra finger). Of those 11 dome-free examples, many are newer designs built to replace a dome-topped predecessor.

Another similarity between many state houses and the US Capitol is that they are bicameral designs. This is due to so many state governments having two legislative bodies, again, similar to the national model. Is the dome so popular because it goes great when served atop bicameral bases?

Were state governments just plain enamored with Washington-style? After all, many other nations adopted the dome for their own use in DC-inspired designs. What emphasis, if any, did states place on originality or innovation?

The dome of the US Capitol building: the perfect inspiration?

Were states instead lazy, lacking imagination, or bowing to frontier "peer-pressure"?

Or did it simply boil down to states having "dome-envy"?


Photo is my own.

"Dome-less" States:
Alaska
Delaware
Hawaii
Louisiana
New Mexico
New York
North Dakota
Ohio
Oregon
Tennessee
Virginia
(Please offer any corrections you may have.)

[LMich]

It's just an opinion, but domes simply seem to be the most impressive element to top winged buildings. On state capitols, even the smallest ones are both voluminous and tall, and thus could be seen from just about anywhere around the city and not mistaken for anything else on a skyline (i.e. church spires, clock towers, chimneys, etc...) I think that last part seems to be most important in why they were chosen. When most of these capitols were built, most city skylines were dominated by church spies, clock towers, and chimneys. What better way to distinguish a capitol from its surroundings than by dropping a big impressive dome on top of it?

Michigan State Capitol


Mario.Q

[TANGELD_SLC]

If I'm not mistaken, didn't many states already have domes on their capitol buildings before the US Capitol's was finished?

I know that AFTER it was built, many states somewhat patterned their capitols' domes after the DC dome, Utah and California perhaps most noticeably as far as I'm aware.

Utah State Capitol

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3625/...02a11835_b.jpg



California State Capitol

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/59/20...9f19785a_o.jpg

[LMich]

Interesting question. How many domes were built before 1823? I know that by 1823, we had 24 states in the Union.

[| BRAVO |]

Alabama's Capital Building was constructed in 1851. The original central core of capitol was built in the Greek Revival style. Features a circular drum tower capped with a dome and cupola. Later Neoclassical wings were added at the side and back.

[| BRAVO |]

Check these out:

www.cupola.com/html/bldgstru/statecap


www.edwardcrim.com

[bobdreamz]

you missed Florida as domeless too :



the old state capitol building which is in the foreground here has a cupola not exactly a dome.

[TampAGS]

Originally Posted by bobdreamz

you missed Florida as domeless too

What do you call those things on top of the two legislative chambers? Lol..

Granted, the buildings do not incorporate a dome as their central focal point. I find it interesting that domes still found their way into the new capitol building's design.

Minus any stylistic embellishments, the general shape of a dome presents a single uniform surface with no harsh angles. I suspect to some extent (and perhaps on an unconscious level) domes seem to connote a sense of unity, inclusion, and indivisibility. In this respect, there may be an inherent, perceived harmony between houses of government and domed roofs.

Originally Posted by TANGELD_SLC

If I'm not mistaken, didn't many states already have domes on their capitol buildings before the US Capitol's was finished?

There may have been 24 states in the union by the time the US Capitol's first dome was completed in 1823, but only five of the current state capitol buildings had been constructed by that point.

• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• Virginia

Four domed, one without. Though the plans for the nation's Capitol would have been well-publicized far in advance of 1823.

Interesting fact I just learned: the 1787 Massachusetts State House featured the first dome built in the entire United States. Its architect went on to be appointed as the third architect for the US Capitol, and it was under his tenure that the building's original copper dome was completed.

[electricron]

Is the Texas State Capitol the largest?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_State_Capitol

It is the largest state capitol building in the United States. Although popularly believed to be the tallest capitol building in the U.S., the Louisiana State Capitol building is taller by 142 feet (450 feet tall); the Illinois State Capitol is the tallest non-skyscraper capitol at 361 feet tall, . Texas' is 308 feet tall. It has less square footage than the National capitol in Washington, D.C., but is fourteen feet taller. It is, however, the largest state capitol building in terms of total square footage.

[RBB]

MO State Capitol Building, built 1914-1918:

Completed in 1918, the Capitol covers three acres in downtown Jefferson City. Inside the Capitol you will find the Missouri State Museum which features exhibits of outstanding historical significance.

The dome, rising 238 feet above ground level and topped by a bronze statue of Ceres, the goddess of vegetation, is the first view of Jefferson City for travelers arriving from the north.

The structure is also notable for its architectural features, including its eight 48-foot columns on the south portico and six 40-foot columns on the north side; its 30-foot-wide grand stairway and its bronze front doors, each 13 by 18 feet—the largest cast since the Roman era.

Photos of the capitol's construction courtesy of MissouriNet:

















USGenWeb:



Large photo - gives a good view of the architectural detailing on the building

-RBB

[TampAGS]

Originally Posted by RBB

MO State Capitol Building, built 1914-1918:

Photos of the capitol's construction courtesy of MissouriNet:

-RBB

Awesome collection of construction photos!

Those were fun.. thanks for posting!

[KevinFromTexas]

It doesn't matter how many skyscrapers Austin ever gets, I still look at the Capitol sometimes and wonder how the hell they ever did it. It really is amazing when you realize the thing is 120 years old and was the first 300+ foot building in Texas. I can't imagine what it must have been like for people to watch it being built back in 1888. It must have been amazing. I wish I had a time machine.

[AustinSkyscrapers]

Ya, I also wish I had a time machine to look how they did it. I also wish I had with the pyramids in Giza.

Somehow, I share my interests and likes with KevinFromTexas...

[LMich]

Neat shots of the construction of the Missouri State Capitol. It got me searching for the historic images of Michigan's. These were taken all before the sandstone dome was painted white:

1910


WSU Virtual Motor City Collection

1947


WSU Virtual Motor City Collection

[TampAGS]

Though not states, there are several insular areas around the world which officially fall under the governance of the United States. The status of their respective capitols/government houses/state houses are below:

• American Samoa - No Dome
• Guam - No Dome
• Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands - ?
• Puerto Rico - Domed Capitol
• U. S. Virgin Islands - No Dome

It is debatable if American Samoa, Guam, and CNMI have a single central building which serves as their "capitol" or equivalent. Of the closest candidates in American Samoa and Guam, none were topped with domes. I'm not certain how to classify the roof that houses the Fono in Utulei, American Samoa, but at any rate, it doesn't appear to be a true dome. I couldn't locate any solid information regarding the facilities used by the current Mariana Islands government on Saipan.

Capitol Building of Puerto Rico

Photo: Flickr user InternetAgeTraveler, appearing under a Creative Commons License

Fono Building (Territorial Legislature), American Samoa

Photo: NOAA (Public Domain)

[TampAGS]

Originally Posted by | BRAVO |

Check these out:
www.cupola.com/html/bldgstru/statecap

www.edwardcrim.com

Thanks for sharing those sites. After reviewing the info at cupola.com and confirming with the respective state websites, it seems two states which were previously designated "Dome-less" do, indeed, have domes... on their interiors.


Whether out of odd coincidence, or an occurrence orchestrated by opportunistic outlaws, the capitols of "O" states, Ohio and Oregon ostensibly share much in common. Both outstanding designs offer circular drum towers, both of which omit the traditional dome.

Ok, maybe the Ohioans and Oregonians felt that an appropriately "O" shaped outline topping off their buildings' outsides would be observed as obtusely out-of-date, outlandishly ominous, or overdone with ornamentation. They ought not have obsessed out of fear their states would be outcast as being too obvious or devoid of originality. (Ouch!) The eventual outcome saw one other commonality for the structures, as both opted for a flat-topped roof on their towers. Or at least that's what is obvious to observers on the outset...

One unfinished opportunity for debate remained open overhead: how to organize the insides of their opulent rotundas? On this occasion again, one is of course obliged to observe similar outcomes. Oddly enough, in seeming opposition to the outside structures, it occurred to them the only tried and true option to outfit these interior spaces was to officially cap each of them with a dome.


So I revise my earlier tally, adding a special category for hidden domes:

Interior Dome Only:
Ohio
Oregon


"Dome-less" States:
Alaska
Delaware
Hawaii
Louisiana
New Mexico
New York
North Dakota
Ohio
Oregon
Tennessee
Virginia

[BruceQ]

A couple more interesting dome facts:

Michigan, Texas, Colorado, and later Utah and Idaho state capitol buildings were all designed by Elijah E. Myers, making him the most prolific capitol designer. All include a central dome and bilateral symmetry.

As best as I can find, there are 9 capitol domes that are covered in gold. Here's Colorado's, covered with 200 ounces of 24 karat gold leaf.

[TampAGS]

The State of Alaska's current State House was constructed in 1931 (long before Alaska even saw statehood) and is widely regarded as a subject of little to no admiration.


It put the "bore" in Aurora Borealis:
the Alaska State House

Photo: Flickr user Chris JB. Appears under a Creative Commons license.


Elementary School?
Bank?
Marriott Doubletree?
Heck, no...
That corner building is Alaska's state capitol, you betcha!

Photo: Flickr user finna dat. Appears under a Creative Commons license.


In 2004, the state announced a design competition for a new capitol building!

Fourty-three entries were received from architectural firms the world over. By February, 2005, four finalists were chosen. Of the four designs, only one incorporated a dome. Morphosis Architects' design calls for a dome which would have a circumference nearly 25% wider than the US Capitol's dome. The proposed dome would also be set off-axis.

The winning design?

The off-axis dome from Morphosis, of course!
Pdf copies of the team's four-page storyboard are available here: http://www.juneau.org/projectsftp/Alaska_Capitol/stageIII/morphosis/Morphosis-boards.php

Though the winner was announced in 2005, work has yet to start on Alaska's new capitol. There are concerns that the large dome may impede the view of Russia from Sarah Palin's house. (Lol... sorry, I couldn't resist!)

Actually, the selected design apparently drew about as much enthusiasm from citizens as does their current State House. Critics have likened it to a giant egg, due to the modernity of the off-axis dome. The project has been put on an indefinite hold.

[chris.butcher]

Pennsylvania's Capitol Building was famously dubbed by President Theodore Roosevelt "...the most handsome state Capitol I have ever seen and I don't believe that there is a finer on earth." - Harrisburg Star Independent newspaper, October 5, 1906.

Here's the building. Was Roosevelt right?




Click for larger image

[futuresooner]

Oklahoma's dome is the newest in the nation, completed just in time for state centennial in 2007.