Minnesota State Capitol!

What Is the Minnesota State Capitol?

It’s the Minnesota State Capitol building!

What Makes It Historical?

Like lots of capitol buildings, this one was far from the first! Minnesota’s first capitol building was a log hotel from 1849 until it was destroyed by fire in 1881! The second, built in 1883, only stood for ten years before it was too small to be useful! Since 1893 was the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, the legislature wanted to move into something like the magnificent Beaux-Arts buildings on display there, and so, after a design contest, they were thrilled to accept 35-year old Cass Gilbert’s design.

Cass Gilbert had started his career here in St. Paul, and after training at MIT, returned here to build his first works, mostly railroad stations! The Classical Revival Minnesota State Capitol was his first monumental achievement and the one that gained him national acclaim! It took nine years to build, opening on January 2, 1905 with the world’s second largest self-supported marble dome, overshadowed only by St. Peter’s Basilica, which inspired it! Over the entrance, it also featured a golden sculpture by Daniel Chester French and Edward Potter called Progress of the State! Four horses in a quadriga (cart) represent the four elements, while the two women represent industry and agriculture and the driver carries the horn of plenty! Built from gold-plated copper, it has to be re-gilded every 20 years!

How Can I #HelpTheHelpers?

Become a member of the Minnesota Historical Society!
Donate to the Minnesota 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!