What Is the Illinois State Capitol?
It’s the Illinois State Capitol building!
What Makes It Historical?
Just like with California’s Capitol on Wheels period, Illinois saw a lot of capitol hopping during its formative years! Starting with a rented building in Kaskaskia in 1809, the legislature wanted a place to call their own and set up a new capital (and capitol) in Vandalia in 1820! Fire destroyed this capitol, and a new one had to be built, completed in 1824. By this point, most folks in Illinois wanted their capital in a more central location, since Vandalia was close to the bottom of the state. The Vandalians, insulted by the measure championed by a young Abraham Lincoln, tore down their capitol building in 1836 and replaced it with an expensive statehouse!
It was all for nothing, though! The capital moved to Springfield on February 25, 1837, and the cornerstone for the new Greek Revival capitol building was laid on July 4th! In this building, the first Lincoln-Douglas debate took place, and poor President Lincoln’s body lay in state on May 3-4, 1865.
In the years after the Civil War, Illinois had prospered so much that the state government needed a much larger capitol building! On a high spot called Mather Block, construction crews broke ground on the sixth and final capitol building on March 11, 1868. This spot had originally been suggested for a Lincoln Memorial, but Mrs. Lincoln preferred Oak Ridge as his final resting place. Designed by the firm of Cochrane and Garnsey in Chicago, partnering with Alfred H. Piquenard, the capitol was still unfinished when the General Assembly moved in in 1876! Accusations of corruption, and at least one death, led to calls for the project to be abandoned and the capital to be moved a fourth time!
After twenty years and $4.5 million in expenses (about $132 billion today), the classically designed limestone capitol, shaped like a Latin cross with French Mansard roofs and a 92.5-foot dome, was declared complete! Today, this is one of the rare capitol buildings where visitors can watch the legislature in action from a viewing area!
How Can I #HelpTheHelpers?
- Become a member of the Illinois State Historical Society!
- Buy from the shop of the Illinois State Historical Society!
- Be a responsible visitor! Please respect the signs and pathways, and treat all structures and artifacts with respect. They’ve endured a lot to survive into the present. They’ll need our help to make it into the future!
How Do I Get There?
401 S. 2nd St
Springfield IL 62701
(Take Me There!)
When Should I Visit?
The capitol building is open for exploration Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM until 4:00 PM, and on weekends from 9:00 AM until 3:00 PM!
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