Spectacular Legislatures: All 50 state capitol buildings, ranked
Credit: Corey Seeman
The Michigan State Capitol building was made in 1878 by Elijah E. Myers. He would go on to make the Colorado and Texas state capitols, leading to the three being very similar in architectural style.
May 4, 2022
Driving to Lansing on I-96, the dome of the Michigan Capitol building stands out in stark contrast to the skyline of the city. The Lansing State Capitol, is not alone: it is one among 49 others, each designed and built not only to house the state legislature, but also to represent the state itself.
However, not all buildings are made equal, and when comparing state capitol buildings, this is extremely clear. Below is my ranking of each state’s modern legislative building, with everything from aesthetic appeal, how impressive the architecture is, originality, interior design and how well it represents the state. Before going into the ranking, I should clarify a term- Generic Capitol Disorder, or GCD, is a condition that afflicts many state capitol buildings and occurs when their design is extremely similar to the federal capitol building.
It’s hardly a shock to see Alaska in the bottom spot of the list. Its capitol building could hardly be described as awe-inspiring, it hardly inspires anything. The entire complex is barely distinguishable from an office building and even the nearby Old Anchorage City Hall is more appropriate as a major government building than the current State Capitol.
#49: North Dakota
North Dakota barely makes it above Alaska because it at least stands out from the surrounding city. Despite being fairly large and having some decent greenery, it completely fails the Art Deco style and ends up looking more like a Brutalist, or Soviet concrete complex. Its disjointedness only emphasizes the failure of North Dakota to commission a proper capital building.
Similar to how Las Vegas overshadows the capital city of Reno, Nevada’s capital building is overshadowed by the grandeur of the Strip. Looking more like a tiny colonial legislature of pre-independence years than a modern structure, its sheer underwhelming nature puts it at 48th.
The only thing separating Louisiana from North Dakota is a slightly more distinct profile and a passing interior that saves this bland, concrete tower from being ranked even lower. Given the unique fusion of cultures in Louisiana, this building is a particular disappointment in the face of so much opportunity.
When seeing the Delaware capitol building, one does not think of the hallowed halls of government but instead of a retirement home. Though unique, Delaware’s resolute persistence in using such an old building sets it far below most of the other east coast states.
States cannot get over boring concrete spires in the midst of empty development, can they? Florida, at least, incorporates its road system in an interesting way, but beyond this, has so little to set it apart, landing it in the bottom five of this list.
This squat, mostly gray building is very underwhelming. Its decorations, namely a pair of cannons and a statue, provide a nice exterior, but the interior and core architecture are very generic and have little going for them. Its lack of distinctive flair makes it very difficult to enjoy.
Oregon does a single feature very well, that being its crowning statue depicting a settler of the state. Famous for its pioneer nature, the building abandons this flair in the rest of its design and despite a large size, accomplishes very little and accidentally looks more intimidating than inspiring.
Scarcely beating out its twin, South Carolina is the first on this list with the generic capital appearance. A number of columns at the front, a rotunda or tower in the center and two wings for Congress. Though it looks like the classic shape, it imitates the style the worst out of all on this list, though the bronze dome top is interesting.
Montana gains most of its score from having an interesting pair of statues that form a distinctive sense of perspective on approach, but the bland stone chosen and generally underwhelming exterior only serve to match the inside.
Arizona is rather interesting, as it looks more like a Caribbean style manor. Though the state has some Spanish roots, celebrating a more modern influence would make its unique nature more interesting. Overall though, too little to boost it into the 30s.
Maryland makes it to the 39th spot because of a successful use of the more classic colonial style, in sharp contrast to Delaware. Its own rotunda is very impressive, as it helped to inspire the national capitol building. However, the lack of any real grandeur or stand out features makes it mediocre.
New Jersey’s capitol building is small and relatively appealing but feels disjointed and doesn’t stand out in the city. If the building was simply larger and had a bit more focus, it could really rise up the ranks. I do give special points for its neat integration into the city at large though.
New Hampshire is a total improvement on many of the other small, Greek-style capital buildings, using a nicely shaped golden rotunda to bring together the whole building. Once again, it’s just somewhat bland and lacks anything to differentiate it from the other mid-range capitol buildings.
Oklahoma’s state capitol is a near carbon copy of the standard style—it looks as if someone took the capitol building in DC, turned it a light brown and dropped it into the plains. Luckily for Oklahoma, it’s a good design, but in the context of state capitol buildings, being so bland docks just about all originality points.
Vermont not only has major scenery points, but a tight design as well. It would make it further up if the building wasn’t asymmetrical, and if the building overall had more features, inside and outside.
A bronze dome and red brick makes Massachusetts one of the most unique capitol buildings, in terms of color scheme and palette, and its style is charming—but not stunning. Massachusetts lacks any kind of punch, and suffers from eastern seaboard syndrome – too small, too underwhelming.
Other than its copious use of the American flag, Maine is an unremarkable state capitol. A scaled down version of the federal building, nothing all too strange or bad. The rotunda is rather small too, which docks some consistency points if it’s trying to model itself after the original.
The Alabama capitol is better suited as a courthouse than a legislature, but it’s still a nice building. The lack of a distinctively grand style and the incorporation of a courthouse knocks it down on the list, as well as the rather boring scenery.
The inclusion of the state tree out front is a nice touch for Washington, such an arboreal state, but it suffers from the bland design of so many states. As we enter the middle of this list, I would like to remind the reader of a term: GCD, or Generic Capitol Disorder. GCD plagues many otherwise great capitol buildings and Washington has a bad case of it.
Ohio’s strange and asymmetrical capitol building is highly unique, but not in a way specific to the state. With its green roof, stout and interesting stone design, Ohio’s capitol, similar to the state itself, is sandwiched near the middle.
Pennsylvania suffers from one fatal flaw: the dome. The building overall is just fine, it’s passable, big, and has a decent interior. It would be number 25 or 24, if only that dome wasn’t an ugly shade of green. There is no design feature present that can draw attention away from it, so the garish feature devastates the score, not to mention the GCD.
With a myriad of design features, South Dakota nears the middle of the pack. Two distinct houses for their legislature and a unique iron-carved dome gives it a silhouette unlike any other, but for all its architectural originality, the building has a bare-bones interior and has entirely bland, even ugly surroundings and landscaping.
Tennessee has a bit of a warped design, which normally is something that I have some interest in, but it doesn’t quite make the mark. The proportions are very different from the standard capitol building, which emphasizes length over width, while Tennessee has something closer to a square, and the placement of pillars being so strange could be nice, but combined with an awkward, flat-top rotunda just strikes me as odd, not auteur.
One of the oldest state capitals shows its age by drawing heavy inspiration from Greco-Roman architecture. Though a lot of the buildings on this list do the same, Virginia stands uniquely as something closer to a temple than a house of legislature, but given the legacy of Greece as the birthplace of democracy, the inspiration is befitting.
It breaks my heart to place my own state in the middle of the pack, but that’s ultimately what it is. Mid-range, average, unremarkable. Though its construction, particularly the methods used to mask common materials as more expensive ones, is interesting, it doesn’t make up for GCD and a bland color palette.
The first capitol to grace the upper end of the list, Wyoming, is the owner of a rather plain but lively structure, somewhat squashed-looking but nice nonetheless. The interior really sells this one, with stuffed bison and hunting-based decoration making a good fit for the vast and often empty Wyoming.
This is a perfect example of a simple, but effective capitol building. It has a strange color of stone and suffers from a lack of stand-out features, but for a small state it’s an impressive building. As is often the case, GCD knocks it down points-wise, but its consistent quality is very nice.
What initially looks like a rather boring structure gives way to architectural genius: a completely round structure, the only state capitol that is a full circle. New Mexico’s state capitol is shaped like the Zia people’s symbol of the sun from above, celebrating not only the state’s native people but also its flag. Its somewhat monotonous appearance and mediocre interior drag down this truly unique structure, though I do award bonus points for the creative sculptures.
You may remember, near the top of this list, that I knocked a ton of state capitols for an ugly art deco/neo modern style of architecture. However, Nebraska is not only ahead of all of these early-20th century buildings, but transcends them by miles. The triumphant dome and concrete tower, which on other buildings seem artificial and uninspired, are augmented just enough to put this building barely below the top 20.
When I see the Wisconsin capital, one word comes to mind: quaint. The building is impressive but not awe-inspiring in size: the landscaping feels warm and the interior is a classic sort of governmental style. The central entrance in front of the Rotunda is also very nice and gives a tone of self-certain humility that is proper for a state like Wisconsin. A real stand-out feature is the X shape, which helps it avoid being generic, but the much-lauded feature feels like it’s different just to be different—nothing about Wisconsin says “X-shaped” to me.
The golden dome of Colorado is very well done, and the landscape surrounding the buildings is both evocative of the state and beautiful. The building at large is passing, suffering from GCD, but other than that the building is nice, save for the interruption of the exterior view by other buildings.
To start off with negatives, the Idaho capitol is rather squished-looking and suffers from GCD. But beyond that, the building projects the silent strength and hidden spirit that characterizes Idaho at large. The building is fairly humble, but some interesting details, such as Radisson-esque disks in the back, bump up its score.
Georgia has a unique, parliamentary style of capitol building, with a nice dome and a size suitable for its importance. The statue at the top of the rotunda is very impressive and makes this building one of the more visually appealing sculpting-wise. It loses points due to being so close to the highway and having next to no landscaping.
Mercifully not having to contend with the cityscape of Chicago, Illinois’ house of legislature is a stylish and somewhat chic structure. Especially among the more generic capitol buildings, the Illinois state house has a unique color palette and the use of unorthodox materials is pulled off well. I do think, however, that the lack of truly defining features, beyond color, keeps it out of the top 15.
Some would say that Kansas’ capitol T-shaped structure is strange and breaks some unspoken covenant that government buildings are supposed to be wider rather than longer. I enjoy the style though, and with a combination of soaring roofs and a central rotunda, the building stands out from many other great plains states.
Another sufferer of GCD, Kentucky makes up those points by a combination of having a larger complex which compliments the core building, along with a beautiful red brick on the exterior paths. Settled amidst a residential neighborhood, the capitol building has the grace of vast fields with deep green leaves around it, and the particular columns of the Kentucky state building are aesthetically pleasing.
Between the myriad of statues around and on the building, the stylized dome and a relief in the marble above the building’s entrance, Missouri has a unique exterior to compliment a nice interior. In particular, their House of Representatives and Senate are built well, and even the windows of the buildings vary nicely.
Another unique building, New York’s state capital does a great job of characterizing the state. It has a rich style, and projects the grandeur that not only represents the modern wealth of New York City, but the old wealth and legacy of the upstate. The building is famous for its central staircase, and more generally looks almost palatial from the outside. The building may be more fitting for the Queen of England than the governor of New York, but for the “empire state,” I’d say it makes sense.
When I see the entrance to the Arkansas capitol building, I think of the grand gates of an ancient city like Babylon or Jerusalem: power and majesty in a big central structure. The majesty of the building quickly bleeds away as the building goes left and right. If that power and energy that the central structure inspires was kept up, or if there was just a bit more aesthetically going on, it might be higher. Arkansas teaches a valuable lesson: a good capitol building needs not only splendor, but honest aesthetic appeal to be truly exceptional.
The vast and multi-faceted design of Indiana has a trio of domes rather than one, making a layered feel come to the fore. The building really shows off how originality, even in basic elements, such as overall shape, can really show off the best features of a building. Indiana gets into the top 10 for being a substantial building that not only feels, but looks good.
I’m very divided on Connecticut’s state legislature; its dome and general stylings are very nice, and have a Georgian style that showcases its colonial roots. The building not only pleases aesthetically but looks almost like a church or temple — it overawes, even if compared to so many other capitol buildings, it’s relatively small. Connecticut uses every inch. I only feel that such a European style of construction and the general English aesthetic feels almost like a betrayal to Connecticut’s status as one of the 13 rebellious colonies. I can recognize, however, that the building was built long enough after the Revolutionary War that the wounds had long healed.
This capitol building looks like it suffers from GCD, as its core styling is very similar to many others. But when looking closer, the rounded chambers for the houses of government, the prominent entrance, and the beautiful statues and White-House esque curved columnage, make the Mississippi’s capital an amalgamation of great features along with a strong though somewhat tacky interior.
In contrast to the various shades of brown and beige, California builds its capitol in a brilliant and lively white, with black accents in its dome. The building uses palm trees around its base, something other sun belt states could look towards, and has a large public park behind it, giving a space for the people of the state to enjoy. The interior is a toss up, but it’s a new, chic decoration that works for me, as California is such a chic and forward-facing state.
Utah’s state capitol projects one thing to me: strength. The solid, wide foundation and extra-wide columns are not only made of unique, local material, rarely seen in state capitols. In conjunction with sweeping ceilings and wide arches, they make the building seem powerful. Complemented by a reflective pool and great series of murals in the central rotunda, Utah’s capitol building is the perfection of the basic capitol design.
One of the most unique buildings on the list, Hawaii’s capital is built in a square fashion, with columns ringing the structure, each one representing an island of the archipelago state. The building has a central plaza however, a view of the sky replacing the usual Rotunda. Hawaii uses a mix of native and early missionary architecture, a fusion of the state’s cultural legacies. The curved forward wall of the legislatures themselves also set this building apart from its competition.
West Virginia’s features are all around good: a nice and pragmatic structure and a stunning statue of Abraham Lincoln in the center of the capitol plaza, honoring the founding of the state as a breakaway from Virginia, aiming to rejoin the Union during the Civil War. What really stands out is its dome. The black, inscribed with gold, arcing towards the sky, is a sight that no other capitol building accomplishes quite as well. This is the peak of rotundas from the outside, and West Virginia is lucky to have such a transcendent feature.
When one thinks of early America, the image of the “City on a Hill” comes to mind, an idea proposed by John Winthrop when he had a vision of a new society that could serve as a moral beacon for the world. The United States cannot truly claim to be this; as with all other nations, in the process of reaching maturity, it has dirtied its hands. However, seeing the Minnesota state capitol, whether the marble exterior, shining against the sun’s light, a myriad of statues depicting figures real and mythical or the three solemn gateways into its main structure, it is almost as if one can see that promised city: America, the mythical. This is only cemented by its interior, with hardwood, gold linings and paintings of the state’s proudest moments adorning many of its walls. To walk through the Minnesota capitol is to walk into an ideal, and for that I give it the best score of them all when it comes to the interior.
Despite its near-top placing, I know Texas’ failure to get the top spot is a surprise. Many rankings online list it as the best, owing to its massive size, unique multi-leveled look, and its inspiration drawing on the Alamo, a very important structure in Texan history. Indeed, Texas has the largest capitol building, eclipsing even the federal structure in size, living up to the state’s maxim, “everything’s bigger in Texas.” The inverted underground rotunda is a charming touch and preserves the grounds while giving a feature that no other capitol truly holds. The building also has an impressive interior, with a myriad of portraits and statues inside and outside the capitol. Texas is the best, save for one…
Most Americans do not think of Iowa outside the presidential primary season. It’s a state with a small population, amorphous borders, little distinctive save for vast fields of corn and lies in the middle of many other states like it. One thing stands out, truly stands out in the whole state — a towering structure above Des Moines, the Iowa capitol not only epitomizes the perfect legislative building, but puts Iowa above every other state architecturally. The Renaissance style is transported to the American Midwest without problem, and every detail is immaculate. The grounds of the building not only are built well and incorporate groundskeeping well, but flows into the city seamlessly, standing above the east village neighborhood triumphantly.
Iowa recalls the greatest architecture of not only European, but American buildings, with arches and columns reconciled into combinations that not only give visually distinct pairing, but seamlessly blend two cherished styles. The rotunda is externally plated in gold and rises above the rest of the structure significantly, while inside, a stunning mural dedicated to Iowans’ service in the Grand Army of the Republic, the Union army during the Civil War, is surrounded by tiered statues in gold and honeycomb designs of corn bushels.
Five domes are incorporated into the structure, entirely unique among the capitols, and makes a unique silhouette for the building against the night sky. The interior is immaculate, and outside, the color palette is almost entirely unique but perfectly shows the grandeur that true government can inspire. Iowa’s capitol building is not only the greatest of the American state capitols, but one of the finest testaments to architecture as an art form in all the world.
Phil • Nov 14, 2024 at 5:51 pm
While are definitely manny impressive capitol structures. I’d have to say the Wisconsin capitol is the best I’ve experienced. Perfectly located on an Isthmus between to lakes, it served as linchpin landmark for 8 different streets streets with a genius “squared X” design. The interior is equally stunning boasting a capitol dome larger than the U.S. capitol building. Despite Madison being unhinged and off the rails liberal politically, the men who built the Wisconsin capital in 1906 were of a different mind and class of dignity and self respect altogether. They left Wisconsin a stunning legacy of architectural brilliance.
Renée • Nov 9, 2024 at 6:20 pm
Overall, I found this list to start off well with the worst falling into their places appropriately enough, but as it stretched through the 30 or so fairly generic ones, it seemed to lose it’s course, and started to go completely off the rails by the time it got to the best, which was, in my honest opinion, way out of order…
I am not biased, as I am from California, which has a nice, but nothing truly special capitol, and lived in Colorado, Georgia, and Pennsylvania, which all have lovely capitols, as well as New Jersey, which has a unique capitol, and Florida, which if it weren’t for the downright forgettable Alaska State Capitol, would be the worst of them all, as well as Oregon, which has a capitol that reminds me more of a mausoleum than a seat of government.
I currently live in Illinois, having just moved here a couple months ago, and have yet to make a trip to Springfield, where one of the two, in my honest opinion, most beautiful state capitols is located. It has a magnificently ornate interior, and something like 8 different marbles used in the equally ornate exterior befitting of the Gilded Age it was constructed in.
However, the capital building I personally consider the most beautiful, is located in a state I have never lived in, and only visited a once, possibly twice, when I visited by grandmother who lived an hour north of Chicago. That capitol building I speak of is in Madison Wisconsin, which has the aforementioned “X shaped” building, which may not bring anything to mind as representative of the state, but does something arguably much more important. That X, in the middle of eight streets coming directly towards it, marks the spot of a beautiful and commanding presence as it is approached. As it is also sited between two lakes, Mendota and Monona, that shapoe also provides the building with multiple “front” facades.
However, as lovely as the Wisconsin State Cpitol is on the outside, , it is the interior of the Wisconsin capitol that truly inspires awe! The central rotunda with it’s glorious marble work, the four stairways in each gallery, and the arches and detailing all remind me of many of the most spectacular and commanding buildings of Europe with notable elements drawn directly from ancient Rome and baroque France.
Jackson • Oct 28, 2024 at 3:00 pm
You dont know what you are talking about Oklahoma’s capitol building is way better than you described it it deserves to be way higher on the list maybe in the top 20.We are realy disapointed one how you described it I think I speak for the whole state of Oklahoma when I say it needs to be moved up in rank .
J Jones • Aug 15, 2024 at 5:29 am
Tartaria is literally beneath our feet.
These are magnificent structures, all discovered and claimed by colonists, beautiful ancient Tartarian architectural ruins, left behind from a recent cataclysmic mud flood, and falling victim to a false history and false narrative fabricated by our forefathers to erase the not-so-distant past.
Sam • Jul 31, 2024 at 2:27 am
Came here to mention that Reno is not the capital of NV; its Carson City, but I see that many people have (thankfully) already beat me to it. Instead, I’ll leave a response to what was written about Wisconsin’s capitol. The X shape is not “different just to be different.” The architect came up with the X design because of it’s symmetry. The capitol building sits in the middle of a square made out of four roads, and each corner of this square has another road branching out at the diagonal. With the X shape, each side of the square has the same view of the capitol, as does each road that branches off from the corners. That way, no business on any side or corner feels like they’re stuck with the “back side” of the building.
Anmif Meedwestor • Sep 4, 2024 at 8:17 pm
I also think that the four wings of the Wisconsin Capitol each house one piece of the government: One for the Senate, One for the House of Representatives, one for the Supreme Court, and one for the Governor.
Mac • Jul 30, 2024 at 1:32 am
Reno is not the capital of Nevada. The capital is Carson City.
Heather M • Jul 8, 2024 at 10:43 am
The Florida Capital building picture is from the back of the building. The front is more traditional looking. This list is off by a bit!
H James • Oct 12, 2023 at 11:15 pm
Thank you for making this list. Visiting all the states’ capital / capitol buildings is on “my bucket list”. I’m from California, and since we’ve moved our capital city a few times, we have other capital buildings: Monterey (pre-statehood), San Jose, Vallejo, Benicia, Sacramento, San Francisco, Sacramento (in chronological order). Hope you’ve a chance to see the one in the city of San Francisco. It was restored after being damaged during the 1989-earthquake.
Joshua • Sep 23, 2023 at 11:14 am
Reno is not the capital of Nevada.
Executive Web Editor Ender Ross • Sep 25, 2023 at 9:49 am
Ooh, almost. Reno is the capitol of Nevada.
Matthew P • Feb 8, 2024 at 10:34 am
No… it’s not. The capital is Ely.
Matthew P • Feb 12, 2024 at 11:39 am
Ely? Really? You must think we are all stupid. The Capitol of Nevada is Henderson/Las Vegas (on weekends)
Educate yourself before you post stupid again
Shannon • Aug 18, 2023 at 1:42 pm
You have zero aptitude for style or architecture apparently. Your schylar777 in relation to the Louisiana state capitol building is especially galling. It’s an Art Deco Masterpiece, a Master class in design of that periods and is full of allegorical features specifically in relation to Louisiana, it’s literally full of allegory. Dude, delete this hot mess, you have no clue what you’re doing.
Elaine • Nov 6, 2023 at 3:26 pm
I agree he is totally off on several of the capitals
carl frankenmouth • Nov 7, 2023 at 7:33 am
Your just a sore alaskan
Vinny • Aug 13, 2023 at 12:01 pm
This list sucks.
Alyssa • Jul 15, 2023 at 7:20 pm
I think this is a good list. I’ve been to the Minnesota capital and the north Dakota one and I like Minnesota’s better and I get why ND is one of the last ones cause when I saw it at first I thought it was a random building
Your mom • Jul 6, 2023 at 12:18 am
Reno is not the capitol lol
pakistan 4evr • Aug 23, 2023 at 11:50 am
reno is the capitol, I was there on vacation just this last monday and I saw a a sign and spoke with MULTIPLE people about the true soruce of the so called capital America is a land of liars your mom because you are not my mom I saw here recentely, your bones will be destroyed when we retake india inshallah
Han Fastolfe • Aug 28, 2023 at 9:58 pm
Uh no, Carson City is the capital of Nevada.
Executive Web Editor Ender Ross • Aug 30, 2023 at 10:21 am
Carson city is the capitol of Arizona, not Nevada. Nevada is Las Vegas, because it’s the biggest city in the state.
M. P. • Sep 15, 2023 at 6:13 pm
Biggest city does not equal capital status. Just look at Chicago. You all suck at geography and facts, the capital of Nevada is Carson City.
john doe • Sep 25, 2023 at 11:27 am
Uhhh, yeah? You are the one who sucks at geography, the capitol of Chigaoco is clealry Boulder City. And Carson is a youtber, not a cit. Pleasse return when you have passed middle school. Yeah go back to school idiot.
Mason • Jun 30, 2023 at 12:41 pm
This isnt the best ranking. How is Iowa the first? Why is Idaho 18? And why do you you have New Mexico a high rank? This could be better
David • May 29, 2023 at 12:36 am
Reno is not Nevada’s capital. The state capital of Nevada is Carson City.
Buckminster • May 4, 2023 at 7:16 pm
Pennsylvania at #29? My wife and I have toured 36 state capitols to date and Pennsylvania is our #1 so far. We are both from Iowa (so likely biased) and it is not as impressive as Pennsylvania. Calling it a “decent” interior is almost laughable. The interior of this capitol is completely awe-inspiring.
Wisconsin, Kentucky, Texas, Iowa, Kansas, and Colorado are among our favorite capitols. We are expecting great things from Minnesota, Connecticut, and New York when we get the chance to visit them.
A few comments on capitols that you have rated high…
– West Virginia could be very impressive, but it is not well maintained
– California is average at best, its interior in almost entirely from a 1970s renovation and it has almost no ornamentation at all
– Mississippi shows signs of a 1980s renovation that was done on the cheap, has what looks like modern-day paneling and trim pieces bought at a Home Depot in a few places
Neo • Dec 12, 2023 at 2:02 pm
Bravo, spot on! Thank you for speaking my mind. It is THE bright spots for Harrisburg & the Commonwealth. The Pa Capitol Building is the most impressive of the 10 or 11 I’ve visited, and it’s definitely in the top ten (in architecture, art, craft, motif, materials etc.) based on research comparison. The subtext of this article oozes pedantic art history elitism, informed by little more than peevish & effete snobbery. Yuck! The author should offer his scoring rubric up front, though surely its caprice would undermine credibility. Author likes it so it’s unique & forward thinking, he doesn’t like the color so it’s an eye sore, gaudy, uninspired; even suggesting a humpty-dumpty type gestalt grotesquerie wherein the failure itself is so much greater than the sum of its flawed parts, that it nullifies even the commendable qualities.
BADIEBABILISOUSE • Dec 12, 2022 at 5:26 pm
THIS IS THE BEST BABE ARTISTIC ARTICLE GO MAMMY GO
Neo • Dec 12, 2023 at 2:01 pm
Bravo, spot on! Thank you for speaking my mind. It is THE bright spots for Harrisburg & the Commonwealth. The Pa Capitol Building is the most impressive of the 10 or 11 I’ve visited, and it’s definitely in the top ten (in architecture, art, craft, motif, materials etc.) based on research comparison. The subtext of this article oozes pedantic art history elitism, informed by little more than peevish & effete snobbery. Yuck! The author should offer his scoring rubric up front, though surely its caprice would undermine credibility. Author likes it so it’s unique & forward thinking, he doesn’t like the color so it’s an eye sore, gaudy, uninspired; even suggesting a humpty-dumpty type gestalt grotesquerie wherein the failure itself is so much greater than the sum of its flawed parts, that it nullifies even the commendable qualities.
susan M Kim • Aug 8, 2022 at 4:30 pm
Interesting. The word capitol though should only be used with the US Capitol building
Buckminster • Apr 24, 2023 at 12:35 pm
Wrong, the word capitol applies to states.
Vinny • Aug 13, 2023 at 12:00 pm
WRONG. CAPITOL refers to the US Capitol. CAPITAL is for state houses.
Executive Web Editor Ender Ross • Oct 26, 2023 at 11:27 am
I thikn your right
Dean • Jul 5, 2024 at 2:36 pm
Capitol is the building where the legislature sits, although some states have a separate building for them example NC and NV. Capital is the city where the capitol building sits.
James Felker • Jul 10, 2022 at 8:45 pm
The Capitol of Nevada is not Reno, and the Nebraska Capitol is made entirely of Limestone, look at your picture, you can see the light colored stone that was replaced between 2001-2008, hard to take your list seriously putting an art deco masterpiece, with extensive art work throughout the interior and exterior, at 21st
Buckminster • Apr 24, 2023 at 12:42 pm
Touring the Nebraska Capitol feels like you are inside a prison. Yes, it is Indiana Limestone, but something about it makes it look like concrete blocks. The artwork is ugly. #21 is too high.
Richard • Jun 13, 2024 at 7:42 pm
You are clearly wrong. I’ve been to the Nebraska Capitol and is arguably very detailed, so many murals and symbology. The Capitol is like a history book of humanity. On too of that Art Deco is beautiful and refreshing compared to all the look alike Capitols of many states.
Harry Carsons • May 12, 2023 at 9:18 am
wrong, the capitol of Nevada is either Reno or Las Vegas I don’t totaly remember.