1839 sketch of planned Iowa capitol, from the original town plat1837 Old Capitol of Illinois, the model for the 1840 Iowa CapitolIowa Capitol in 1855
John F. Rague is credited with designing the Territorial Capitol Building, although it is thought that missionary priest Father Samuel Mazzuchelli helped with the design also. Rague had previously designed the 1837 capitol of Illinois and was supervising its construction when he got the commission to design the new Iowa capitol in 1839. He quit the Iowa project after five months, claiming his design was not followed, but the resemblance to the Illinois capitol suggests he strongly influenced the final Iowa design.[5] One surviving 1839 sketch of the proposed capital shows a radically different layout, with two domes and a central tower. The cornerstone of the Old Capitol Building was laid in Iowa City on July 4, 1840. Iowa City served as the third and last territorial capital of Iowa, and the last four territorial legislatures met at the Old Capitol Building until December 28, 1846, when Iowa was admitted into the United States as the 29th state of the union. Iowa City was declared the state capital of Iowa, and the government convened in the Old Capitol Building.
The Iowa constitution was crafted in the Old Capitol Building. The first governor of the state of Iowa was inaugurated there, and the first six Iowa general assemblies met in the building. 59 days after being admitted into the union, the state of Iowa passed legislation in the Old Capitol Building authorizing the formation of the state's first public university, the State University of Iowa, which is known today as The University of Iowa.
After ten years of housing the government in Iowa City, the state decided to move the seat of state government and build the Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines, a city located more toward the center of the state. When the state government moved to Des Moines in 1857, the Old Capitol Building became the first permanent building owned by the University of Iowa.
Campus landmark and 1970s restoration
Old Capitol
The Old Capitol Building housed almost the entire university from 1857 to 1863. As the school grew, the Old Capitol remained the focal point of the university, serving as a library, chapel, and armory, and providing space for classrooms and offices.
The Old Capitol sits in the middle of the Pentacrest, five buildings in an X pattern at the center of the University of Iowa's campus. The four other buildings are Jessup Hall directly northwest of the Capitol, MacBride Hall to the northeast, MacLean Hall to the southwest, and Schaeffer Hall to the southeast.
The state of Iowa authorized a major renovation of the building in the 1920s, and it continued to function as a classroom and office building until the 1970s. University presidents had their offices there until the 1970s.
In 1970, the building needed another renovation. However, the university decided against converting the building into a modern office building. Instead, the offices were moved out, and with the leadership of educator and conservationist Margaret Keyes the university undertook a six-year interior renovation of the building, restoring most of it back to its original condition as a government building in the 1850s, and for use as a state historical museum. It was declared a National Historic Landmark on January 7, 1976.[2][6] The Old Capitol Building reopened to the public on the nation's bicentennial, July 4, 1976.[citation needed]
November 2001 fire and renovation
November 2001 Old Capitol Fire
The 1970s renovation restored the interior of the building to its original condition, but by the 1990s, it was apparent that the building needed exterior and structural repairs. The University of Iowa began another round of renovations to upgrade the Old Capitol Building. Part of the repairs called for asbestos to be removed from the Capitol's gold dome.
On November 20, 2001, contractors using open-flame torches and heat guns on the cupola supporting the building's gold dome accidentally set the cupola on fire. The fire was limited to the cupola of the building, thanks to a concrete slab firewall that had been installed during the 1920s renovation. The bell at the top of the Old Capitol was irreparably damaged, the dome was destroyed, and the tens of thousands of gallons of water used to douse the blaze caused major damage. The University of Iowa later settled a lawsuit with the contractors for $1.9 million.[7]
In February 2003, a new, 12,000 pound wood dome was placed on top of the Old Capitol Building.[8] The dome is covered with 233⁄4caratgold leaf. A new bell was installed, and the old bell is on display inside the building.
On May 6, 2006, the Old Capitol Building was reopened to the public. The ground floor of the building is now a museum, with exhibits about the history of the building, the university, and the state of Iowa. University meetings and speeches can again take place at the Old Capitol, and as in the past, Ph.D. students often make their doctoral defenses in the chambers of the Old Capitol Building.
The University of Iowa's official logo is a graphic representation of the Old Capitol dome.
1 2 "Old Capitol (Iowa)". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on October 5, 2012. Retrieved October 10, 2007.
Iowa City is the county seat and largest city of Johnson County, Iowa, United States. It is the home of the University of Iowa and county seat of Johnson County, at the center of the Iowa City Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the time of the 2020 census the population was 74,828, making it the state's fifth-most populous city. The metropolitan area, which encompasses Johnson and Washington counties, has a population of over 171,000. The Iowa City Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) is also a part of a Combined Statistical Area (CSA) with the Cedar Rapids MSA. This CSA plus two additional counties are known as the Iowa City-Cedar Rapids region which collectively has a population of nearly 500,000.
The Georgia State Capitol is an architecturally and historically significant building in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The building has been named a National Historic Landmark which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. As the primary office building of Georgia's government, the capitol houses the offices of the governor, lieutenant governor, and secretary of state on the second floor, chambers in which the General Assembly, consisting of the Georgia State Senate and Georgia House of Representatives, meets annually from January to April. The fourth floor houses visitors' galleries overlooking the legislative chambers and a museum located near the rotunda in which a statue of Miss Freedom caps the dome.
The Wyoming State Capitol is located in the city of Cheyenne. Cheyenne is the seat of government for the U.S. state of Wyoming. Built between 1886 and 1890, the capitol is located in Cheyenne and contains the chambers of the Wyoming State Legislature as well as the office of the Governor of Wyoming. It was designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark in 1987. The Capitol underwent an extensive three-year renovation and reopened to the public on July 10, 2019.
The Iowa State Capitol, commonly called the Iowa Statehouse, is in Iowa's capital city, Des Moines. As the seat of the Iowa General Assembly, the building houses the Iowa Senate, Iowa House of Representatives, the Office of the Governor, and the Offices of the Attorney General, Auditor, Treasurer, and Secretary of State. The building also includes a chamber for the Iowa Supreme Court, although court activities usually take place in the neighboring Iowa Supreme Court building. The building was constructed between 1871 and 1886, and is the only five-domed capitol in the country.
The Oklahoma State Capitol is the house of government of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It is the building that houses the Oklahoma Legislature and executive branch offices. It is located along Lincoln Boulevard in Oklahoma City and contains 452,508 square feet of floor area. The present structure includes a dome completed in 2002.
The California State Capitol is the seat of the California state government, located in Sacramento, the state capital of California. The building houses the chambers of the California State Legislature, made up of the Assembly and the Senate, along with the office of the governor of California. The Neoclassical structure, designed by Reuben S. Clark, was completed between 1861 and 1874. Located at the west end of Capitol Park and the east end of the Capitol Mall, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. The California State Capitol Museum is housed on the grounds of the capitol.
The Alabama State Capitol, listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the First Confederate Capitol, is the state capitol building for Alabama. Located on Capitol Hill, originally Goat Hill, in Montgomery, it was declared a National Historic Landmark on December 19, 1960. Unlike every other state capitol, the Alabama Legislature does not meet there, but at the Alabama State House. The Capitol has the governor's office and otherwise functions as a museum.
The Connecticut State Capitol is located north of Capitol Avenue and south of Bushnell Park in Hartford, the capital of Connecticut. The building houses the Connecticut General Assembly; the upper house, the State Senate, and lower house, the House of Representatives, as well as the office of the Governor of the State of Connecticut. The Connecticut Supreme Court occupies a building across Capitol Avenue.
The Illinois State Capitol, located in Springfield, Illinois, houses the legislative and executive branches of the government of the U.S. state of Illinois. The current building is the sixth to serve as the capitol building since Illinois was admitted to the United States in 1818. Built in the architectural styles of the French Renaissance and Italianate, it was designed by Cochrane and Garnsey, an architecture and design firm based in Chicago. Ground was broken for the new capitol on March 11, 1868, and the building was completed twenty years later for a total cost of $4.5 million.
The Mississippi State Capitol or the “New Capitol,” has been the seat of the state’s government since it succeeded the old statehouse in 1903. Located in Jackson, it was designated as a Mississippi Landmark in 1986, a National Historic Landmark in 2016 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1969.
The Michigan State Capitol is the building that houses the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is in the portion of the state capital of Lansing which lies in Ingham County. The present structure, at the intersection of Capitol and Michigan Avenues, is a National Historic Landmark that houses the chambers and offices of the Michigan Legislature as well as the ceremonial offices of the Governor of Michigan and Lieutenant Governor. Historically, this is the third building to house the Michigan government.
Waller Hall is a building on the campus of Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, in the United States. Opened in 1867 as University Hall, it is the oldest higher-education building west of the Mississippi River still in use, currently housing the university's administrative offices.
The Woodbury County Courthouse is located at 620 Douglas Street in Sioux City, the county seat of Woodbury County, Iowa, United States. It is regarded as "one of the finest Prairie School buildings in the United States" and has been declared a National Historic Landmark for its architecture. It is used for legal proceedings in the county.
The Dubuque County Jail is a historic building at 36 East 8th Street in Dubuque, Iowa, United States. Completed in 1858, the jail is an example of the uncommon Egyptian Revival style. It is architecturally a highly original work of John F. Rague, who also designed the 1837 Old Capitol of Illinois and the 1840 Territorial Capitol of Iowa. The building was designated a National Historic Landmark for its architecture in 1987. It served as a jail for more than a century, became a museum in 1975, and was converted into county offices in 2016.
The Marshall County Courthouse is located in Marshalltown, Iowa, United States. The current building was completed in 1886 to replace an earlier building. The courthouse is a dominant landmark in downtown Marshalltown. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. In 2002 it was listed as a contributing property in the Marshalltown Downtown Historic District. It is the third building the county has used for a courthouse and county business.
Old Main is a historic building located on the Iowa Wesleyan University campus in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, United States. Built in 1854, when James Harlan was the college's president, it is the second building constructed on the campus after Pioneer Hall. It is believed that Old Main was the first genuine collegiate building built in Iowa. The bricks for the building were manufactured locally by Benjamin Franklin Pearson of Keosauqua, Iowa, who also was responsible for some of the building's construction. The three-story building has modified classical features. It was designed to have classrooms on the first two floors and the library, natural history museum and chapel on the third floor. The building is capped with a hip roof with bracketed eaves, and a wooden cupola with a low dome painted gold.
John Francis Rague was a mid-19th century architect who designed and built numerous public buildings including the 1837 Old Capitol of Illinois and the 1840 Territorial Capitol of Iowa. He was born on March 24, 1799, in Scotch Plains, New Jersey. He studied under Minard Lafever in New York, and moved to Springfield, Illinois, in 1831. While there, he designed both the Illinois and Iowa capitol buildings, the Tinsley Dry Goods Building and many Greek Revival homes. In Springfield, Rague was a friend of Abraham Lincoln, and suggested Lincoln wear white gloves to dinner parties. Lincoln followed this recommendation.
Dubuque City Hall is located in Dubuque, Iowa, United States. The building was designed by J.N. Moody after Faneuil Hall in Boston and the Fulton Street Market in New York City. Dubuque architect John F. Rague served as the supervising architect during construction. Following a Medieval tradition, the city market was located on the first floor, municipal offices were located on the second floor, and a ballroom for civic events was located on the third floor.
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