Minnesota State Capitol: An In Depth Study

7/21/2013

The Minnesota State Capitol houses the legislative and judicial branches of government, both of whom meet there to do the business they are elected or appointed to do. In Minnesota's case, they have the pleasure of meeting in one of the most prestigious buildings in our state. It is an architectural marvel featuring gold, marble, granite, statues, an unsupported marble dome, cantilevered stairways, and elaborate paintings dating back to the early 1900s. There is something fascinating to photograph in every direction and at times a person can feel like they are spinning round and round shooting everywhere, including up and down. It is very easy to lose focus.

I've been there several times over the years and during my last visit I found that the more I thought about things, the more questions I had and the deeper I wanted to explore. I am going to attempt to cover each floor of the building, one floor at a time, so that I can give every area as much attention as possible and hopefully, remain focused. To keep things interesting, I may have a few weeks in between to talk about other things, including the State Fair (woo-hoo!) which is just around the corner.

So now that I've committed to this, I will be reporting back with, well, I might as well start at ground level. This will be tough since the entrance is on the main level. Yes, it's that good. I will have to put on blinders to make it down to the ground level. In the meantime, fresh from a trip yesterday, here is a preview of what you can expect to see in future posts.

I'm quite certain every detail has meaning behind it and so I'll be exploring that as well. Not that I can cover every detail, but I'll try to hit on some of the big ones. This piece of architecture taken collectively as one piece of art, is quite an amazing feat for someone to have constructed in their imagination. Hats off to Cass Gilbert, the guy who pulled it all together way back in 1895!

As always, I appreciate you stopping by and wish you a wonderful summer.

P.S. You may notice a little crumbling/peeling paint or other repair needs in some of these images. Our capitol will begin extensive renovations this Fall. So I may be repeating this whole project again when it is completed as it will change somewhat by the time it is done in 2015. They will be not only repairing but also restoring some things to their original design. This is a great time to document it before its regeneration.

Minnesota State Capitol: An In Depth Study

Author

Archives

Categor