Montana State Capitol

Last updated
Montana State Capitol
MK01799 Montana State Capitol.jpg
Montana State Capitol
General information
Architectural style Neoclassical Renaissance Revival (interior)
Town or city Helena, Montana
Country United States
Construction started1899
Completed1902
CostUS$540,000
Client State of Montana
Design and construction
Architect(s) Bell & Kent; Link & Haire; F. M. Andrews & Company

The Montana State Capitol is the state capitol of the U.S. state of Montana that houses the Montana State Legislature which is located in the state capital of Helena at 1301 East Sixth Avenue. The building was constructed between 1896 and 1902 with wing-annexes added between 1909 and 1912.

Contents

History

Winning competition design for the Montana State Capitol by George R. Mann, 1896 (unbuilt) Montana state capitol 2.jpg
Winning competition design for the Montana State Capitol by George R. Mann, 1896 (unbuilt)

A design competition for the building was conducted in 1896. The commission selected a design by George R. Mann as the winner. In 1897, after it was found that the Commission was planning to scam money from the building project, it was disbanded and a second Capitol Commission was convened. The new Commission abandoned Mann's plan as being too costly, and had a second design competition, won by Charles Emlen Bell and John Hackett Kent, of Bell & Kent of Council Bluffs, Iowa. In order to have their design built, Bell & Kent relocated their office to Helena. [1]

While Mann's building was never built in Montana, it was selected later as the basic design for the Arkansas State Capitol. [2]

The winning design by Bell & Kent had been altered already during the construction phase, when in 1901 the commission asked for the structure to be made more imposing by increasing the height of the dome. Kent opposed the changes, as his original low spherical dome was meant to be "pure Greek", but Bell advocated the commission's request. [3]

Between 1909 and 1912, the building was extended by the addition of two new wings on the eastern and western sides. [4] This work was executed by Link & Haire, architects of Butte, with F. M. Andrews & Company of New York as consulting architects. [5]

Architecture

The building, constructed of Montana sandstone and granite, is in Greek neoclassical architectural style, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. [6] The exterior of the dome is covered with copper. Atop the dome is a feminine statue affectionately dubbed Montana.

The Montana statue, formerly known as Lady Liberty sits atop the Capitol dome. [7]

Art

Interior view of the dome MontanaStateCapitolDome.jpg
Interior view of the dome
Lewis and Clark Meeting the Flathead Indians at Ross' Hole, by Charles M. Russell, 1912, Montana House of Representatives Chamber House Chambers Lewis and Clark Meet the Flathead Indians.jpg
Lewis and Clark Meeting the Flathead Indians at Ross' Hole, by Charles M. Russell, 1912, Montana House of Representatives Chamber
Amedee Joullin, Driving the Golden Spike, 1903. Grand Staircase Driving the Golden Spike 01.jpg
Amédée Joullin, Driving the Golden Spike, 1903. Grand Staircase
Surrender of Chief Joseph by Edgar S. Paxson, House lobby Surrender of Chief Joseph.jpg
Surrender of Chief Joseph by Edgar S. Paxson, House lobby

The most notable feature inside the center of the Capitol building is the massive rotunda, with four circular paintings surrounding it. These paintings, painted for the Capitol opening in 1902 by the firm of F. Pedretti's Sons, depict four important archetypes of people of Montana's early history: a Native American (intended to be of Chief Charlo), an explorer and fur trapper (Jim Bridger), a gold miner (Henry Finnis Edgar, one of the discoverers of gold at Alder Gulch), and a cowboy (unidentified, but said to be inspired by the works of C.M. Russell). [8] The Pendretti brothers provided additional commissioned artwork in the Senate and Old Supreme Court Chambers.

The southern arch of the rotunda features the semi-elliptical painting Driving The Golden Spike, painted by Amédée Joullin. The former State Law Library, now a set of committee rooms, features ten Montana landscapes created by Ralph E. DeCamp. The House of Representatives Lobby features six scenes depicting significant events in early Montana History by Edgar S. Paxson.

The most significant piece of art in the Capitol is by Montana's famous Western artist Charles M. Russell. The 1912 painting, titled Lewis and Clark Meeting the Flathead Indians at Ross' Hole, is 25 feet (7.6 m) long and twelve feet high. It depicts the explorers Lewis and Clark meeting Montana's Bitterroot Salish people upon their return across the Bitterroot Mountains from the Pacific Ocean. It is now displayed above the Speaker's chair in the House of Representatives' chamber.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Capitol</span> Meeting place of the United States Congress

The United States Capitol, often called the Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the seat of the United States Congress, the legislative branch of the federal government. It is located on Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Although no longer at the geographic center of the national capital, the U.S. Capitol forms the origin point for the street-numbering system of the district as well as its four quadrants. Like the principal buildings of the executive and judicial branches, the Capitol is built in a neoclassical style and has a white exterior.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Texas State Capitol</span> State capitol of the U.S. state of Texas

The Texas State Capitol is the capitol and seat of government of the U.S. state of Texas. Located in downtown Austin, Texas, the structure houses the offices and chambers of the Texas Legislature and of the Governor of Texas. Designed in 1881 by architect Elijah E. Myers, it was constructed from 1882 to 1888 under the direction of civil engineer Reuben Lindsay Walker. A $75 million underground extension was completed in 1993. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970 and recognized as a National Historic Landmark in 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minnesota State Capitol</span> State capitol building of the U.S. state of Minnesota

The Minnesota State Capitol is the seat of government for the U.S. state of Minnesota, in its capital city of Saint Paul. It houses the Minnesota Senate, Minnesota House of Representatives, the office of the Attorney General and the office of the Governor. The building also includes a chamber for the Minnesota Supreme Court, although court activities usually take place in the neighboring Minnesota Judicial Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georgia State Capitol</span> State capitol building of the U.S. state of Georgia

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nebraska State Capitol</span> State capitol building of the U.S. state of Nebraska

The Nebraska State Capitol is the seat of government of the U.S. state of Nebraska and is located in downtown Lincoln. Designed by New York architect Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue in 1920, it was constructed of Indiana limestone from 1922 to 1932. The capitol houses the primary executive and judicial offices of Nebraska and is home to the Nebraska Legislature—the only unicameral state legislature in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kentucky State Capitol</span> State capitol building of the U.S. state of Kentucky

The Kentucky State Capitol is located in Frankfort and is the house of the three branches of the state government of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oklahoma State Capitol</span> State capitol building of the U.S. state of Oklahoma

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arkansas State Capitol</span> State capitol building of the U.S. state of Arkansas

The Arkansas State Capitol, often called the Capitol Building, is the home of the Arkansas General Assembly, and the seat of the Arkansas state government that sits atop Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the Capitol Mall in Little Rock, Arkansas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alabama State Capitol</span> State capitol building of the U.S. state of Alabama

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Utah State Capitol</span> State capitol building of the U.S. state of Utah

The Utah State Capitol is the house of government for the U.S. state of Utah. The building houses the chambers and offices of the Utah State Legislature, the offices of the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, the State Auditor and their staffs. The capitol is the main building of the Utah State Capitol Complex, which is located on Capitol Hill, overlooking downtown Salt Lake City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pennsylvania State Capitol</span> State capitol building of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania

The Pennsylvania State Capitol is the seat of government for the U.S. state of Pennsylvania located in downtown Harrisburg. The building was designed by architect Joseph Miller Huston in 1902 and completed in 1906 in a Beaux-Arts style with decorative Renaissance themes throughout. The capitol houses the legislative chambers for the Pennsylvania General Assembly, made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate, and the Harrisburg chambers for the Supreme and Superior Courts of Pennsylvania, as well as the offices of the Governor and the Lieutenant Governor. It is also the main building of the Pennsylvania State Capitol Complex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Idaho State Capitol</span> State capitol building of the U.S. state of Idaho

The Idaho State Capitol in Boise is the home of the government of the U.S. state of Idaho. Although Lewiston briefly served as Idaho's capital from the formation of Idaho Territory in 1863, the territorial legislature moved it to Boise on December 24, 1864.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kansas State Capitol</span> State capitol building of the U.S. state of Kansas

The Kansas State Capitol, known also as the Kansas Statehouse, is the building housing the executive and legislative branches of government for the U.S. state of Kansas. Located in the city of Topeka, which has served as the capital of Kansas since the territory became a state in 1861, the building is the second to serve as the Kansas Capitol. During the territorial period (1854–1861), an earlier capitol building was begun but not completed in Lecompton, Kansas, and smaller structures in Lecompton and Topeka were where the territorial legislatures met.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oregon State Capitol</span> State capitol building of the U.S. state of Oregon

The Oregon State Capitol is the building housing the state legislature and the offices of the governor, secretary of state, and treasurer of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located in the state capital, Salem. Constructed from 1936 to 1938 and expanded in 1977, the current building is the third to house the Oregon state government in Salem. The first two capitols in Salem were destroyed by fire, one in 1855 and the other in 1935.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Dakota State Capitol</span> State capitol building of the U.S. state of South Dakota

The South Dakota State Capitol is the state capitol building of the U.S. state of South Dakota. Housing the South Dakota State Legislature, it is located in the state capitol of Pierre at 500 East Capitol Avenue. The building houses the offices of most state officials, including the Governor of South Dakota.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Capitol rotunda</span> Component of United States Capitol

The United States Capitol building features a central rotunda below the Capitol dome. Built between 1818 and 1824, the rotunda has been described as the Capitol's "symbolic and physical heart".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Capitol dome</span> Dome situated above the rotunda of the United States Capitol

The United States Capitol features a dome situated above its rotunda. The dome is 288 feet (88 m) in height and 96 feet (29 m) in diameter. Designed by Thomas U. Walter, the fourth Architect of the Capitol, it was constructed between 1855 and 1866 at a cost of $1,047,291. The Statue of Freedom tops the lantern on the dome, and the dome is centered over the origin on street maps of Washington, D.C.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles E. Bell</span> American architect

Charles Emlen Bell (1858–1932), often known as C.E. Bell, was an American architect of Council Bluffs, Iowa and Minneapolis, Minnesota. He worked alone and in partnership with John H. Kent and Menno S. Detweiler. He also worked as part of Bell, Tyrie and Chapman. A number of his works are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Carolina State House</span> Former capitol in Raleigh, North Carolina; destroyed by fire in 1831

The North Carolina State House was built from 1792 to 1796 as the state capitol for North Carolina. It was located at Union Square in the state capital, Raleigh, in Wake County. The building was extensively renovated in the neoclassical style by William Nichols, the state architect, from 1820 to 1824. On December 24, 1821, the statue of George Washington by Antonio Canova was displayed in the rotunda. Both were destroyed by fire in 1831.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minnesota State Capitol artwork</span> History and usage of artwork at the state capitol

The Minnesota State Capitol opened in 1905 with roughly 60 artworks that totaled $300,000, or 7% of the $4.5-million project budget. Cass Gilbert, the architect of the Capitol building, had envisioned that the artworks would add "educational value" and provide for the "advancement of civilization and intelligence." Over the years, more artworks would be added to the Capitol, totaling nearly 150 by 2017. Much of the Capitol art is allegorical, as expressed through murals and sculptures, while some feature key moments in Minnesota history. While the allegorical symbolism used in the paintings would have been more widely understood during the time they were painted, over time the meanings have been challenged.

References

  1. California Architect and Building News 20 July 1898: 78.
  2. History of Helena blog Archived 2012-02-25 at the Wayback Machine , quoting Mr. Kirby Lambert, Curator of Art at the Montana Historical Society, retrieved 2 March 2010.
  3. History of Helena blog Archived 2012-02-25 at the Wayback Machine , quoting Historic Structure Report: Montana State Capitol Building by Jim McDonald, 1981, retrieved 2 March 2010.
  4. History of Helena blog Archived 2012-02-25 at the Wayback Machine , retrieved 2 March 2010.
  5. American Architect 1 Sept. 1909: 4.
  6. National Register of Historic Places, retrieved 2 March 2010.
  7. "Mystery of Capitol dome statue solved".
  8. Lambert, K.; Burnham, P.M.; Near, S.R. (2002). Montana's State Capitol: The People's House. Montana Historical Society Press. ISBN   9780917298837 . Retrieved 31 January 2015.

46°35′09″N112°01′06″W / 46.5857°N 112.0184°W / 46.5857; -112.0184