Iowa State Capitol

Elite '09

1196

1230

Eric B.

Albany, CA

9/4/2009

I previously wrote about the string of presidential libraries that I have visited. Maybe I should start thinking about State (and maybe Provincial) capitols. Unfortunately, that's currently a small list that includes California, Nevada, Minnesota, Texas, Alberta, Ontario, the Yukon, and of course Iowa.

My favourite is the Yukon, because its pretty much limited to a single and elegant legislative room with stunning artwork and light.  Iowa's is my hometown preference and over my many years of living or visiting here, the golden dome on the hill has always been a marker reminding me of where I'm from.

I have been inside the capital too and when my father worked for the State of Iowa, we would wander over.  The dome is also cool from the inside and I also enjoyed seeing the legislative chambers and wandering around the nicely appointed grounds.

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6

178

Dave S.

Milwaukee, WI

1/21/2008

I visted the Iowa State Capitol in the summer of 2007. It was the 12th Capitol I have visited.

Toward the end of the capitol tour, one of the other people on the tour, a retired lady from the DC area (you meet a lot of retirees on state capitol tours), having heard that I had been to an assload of capitols, asked how the Iowa capitol stacked up to the others I had been in. I replied "every state has the best capitol." I lied. Some capitols are better than others.

There's something about the Midwestern Capitols. It's like they're trying too hard to be opulent. In the case of Wisconsin's capitol, this leads to the building being slightly over the top, but still on the classy side. Iowa's capitol, on the other hand, takes it a little too far. When you step into the rotunda and look up (this is the "money shot" in any state capitol) you're greated by a huge inner dome gilded in gold leaf. In the middle of this dome is an occulus painted in light blue with a Civil War banner laying astride the opening. It's nice, but I have to admit it's more "bling" than class. The use of gold leaf is overwhelming.

The Iowa State Capitol is full of nice little details, but it's in these details where you can most see that the building needs some love. Throughout the building there is wonderful, intricate tilework on the floors, but too many of these tiles are either missing, chipped or damaged. The legislative chambers are as august as you would expect them to be, but there's little in the way of artwork in them save the portraits of Geroge Washington, Abraham Lincoln and the current president.

At the Iowa State Capitol, they let you climb the stairs up to the rim of the inner dome. It's quite a climb, and when you get up there you get a nice closeup view at the gold encrusted inner dome. It's really bright.

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