The magnificent Capitol Building of Michigan

Tareq Al Saud
6 min readFeb 28, 2016

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Speaking at the dedication of its new Capitol, Governor Charles Croswell spoke of the new structure that stood as evidence of the lasting taste, spirit and enterprise that would be a symbol of the citizens of the state of Michigan. It was January 1, 1879 and Michigan was recovering from the many losses as the result of the Civil War. The magnificent new capital was dedicated to the people of Michigan and then November 1992, more than 113 years after that first dedication, another celebration marked the conclusion of the capital’s restoration. That dedication also commemorated the buildings 100 years of service to Michigan.

The Capitol building was dark and dirty in the late 60's.

Recognized for its extraordinary architecture
and art, Michigan’s capital is is a symbol of endurance and as Michigan’s most important historic building.

The ground floor

The ground floor provides little hint of the splendors on the upper floors. The ground floor was never intended for public use but as utilitarian. The Architect Elijah E. Myers located store rooms and an armory on the ground floor. Myers was an unknown architect whose design was the chosen winner in a competition. By the time he had died, Myers had designed more state capitol buildings than any other architect. His work includes the state capitols of Colorado, Texas and Wisconsin. His design was also significantly under budget of other capitol designs. Myers was a master of engineering buildings with alternative materials without sacrificing design. The marble columns of the Michigan Capitol are in actuality painted iron and the stamped leather walls are really painted plaster. The massive walnut doors and walls are really painted Michigan pine. In order to improve security, public safety and accessibility, the building’s main entrance was relocated to the ground floor during the capital’s restoration in 1989.

When one moves though to the center of the building where all corridors converge and intersect, one is located directly under the dome of the Capitol. There is a glass ceiling over your head at this point. This glass ceiling is actually the floor of rotunda room in the main part of the building. It is here that the cast iron columns which support the floor and a massive walls converge to support central dome and feature of the building. Throughout the building, the walls, ceilings and floors are built of solid brick which was highly unusual at the time of the building.

The use of brick and iron made the building enormously strong and — of great importance in the country where most buildings were both made of wood — relatively fireproof.

The level of Michigan Capitol building design.

The first floor

The first floor is originally designed to be the main reception area of the Capitol. The floor of the rotunda consist of 976 pieces of glass. Each is about five-eighths of an inch thick. The floor is similar to a glass mosaic with an iron support structure and is 44 1/2 feet in diameter. The design creates an optical illusion that, when seen from above, appears to sink towards the center to form a bowl. Lit from below, this famously glass floor is one of the most beautiful and memorable sights in the building and has been surprisingly durable.

The massive and magnificent cast metal chandelier are a set of the 20 designed just for the building. Called the “Michigan” chandeliers, these fixtures were originally lit by gas. Each feature an elk and shield inspired by the state’s coat of arms. The coat of arms appears on many features in the building including the hinges of the doors and doorknobs. It is remarkably similar to the insignia used by the Hudson Bay Company of Canada. The Michigan chandeliers were long believed to be made of Michigan copper. They were recently discovered to be actually cast from a mixture of several other metals and copper-plated.

The second floor

The governor’s offices and parlor are located on the second floor. These are the best-documented and most beautiful rooms in the Capital and have been carefully and meticulously restored it. They are lovely examples of interior design from the 1870’s. The rooms feature original furnishings and stand as a testament to Michigan’s furniture manufacturing heritage. Made in 1876 by the Feige Brothers Company of Saginaw, Feige Brothers still manufacture furniture in Michigan today. The rooms are most ceremonial and used for bill signing and receptions. The Governor’s offices were moved across the street during the remodeling and never returned.

The third floor

The House of Representatives Chamber of Michigan has 110 members. This chamber is the larger of the two chambers on the third floor. Each representative is elected to a two-year term. Each of the districts has approximately 90,000 constituents. Each representative sits at an assigned desk with Democrats traditionally sitting on the left of the chamber as you face the chamber’s front rostrum. Republicans site on the right side of the chamber. The presiding officer that sits at the rostrum is the Speaker of the House. They are elected to this position by fellow members. Members sit below a glass coffered ceiling (originally ruby and white etched glass) that features coats of arms of the states.

Also on the third floor is the old Supreme Court chamber. This is the old Supreme Court chamber as the original left the capital in 1970. The room is now used by the Senate Appropriations Committee for meetings and hearings. The room features a high ceiling, elaborated decorative paint, and ornamental plaster work. It is one of the most elegant in the Capital and the most awe-inspiring. The space has been adapted to a new used without sacrificing beauty or history. The massive use of pine wood painted to look like mahagony and walnut is Elijah E. Myers innovation.

Capital Exterior

The capitol sits in the middle of Lansing, Michigan. At the time of 1847, there were less than 30 inhabitants in that area but it was deemed the most central location to put the capitol. It was moved from the more prosperous Detroit. Detroit was the capitol city when the territory became a state in 1837. Sault Ste. Marie was the first settlement as the result of the fur trade and missionaries. Detroit was founded in 1701 and quickly became of primary importance because of it’s route for shipping. As part of admittance to the Union, the Michigan constitution had a provision that said the capitol must be relocated out of Detroit to a more central part of the state.

The capitol square is formed by Ottawa and Allegan Streets running parallel East to West. Walnut and Capitol Avenues run parallel North to South. The grounds contain one of the largest Catalpa trees found in the nation with a trunk 20’ around. The tree was growing when the Capitol Square was dedicated in 1879.

The Capitol building height is 267 feet from the ground to the tip of the finial above the doom. The length is 420’ 2”. In width, the building is 273’ 11” and has a perimeter of 1520 feet. The Capitol took six years to construct from the summer of 1872 until the dedication in 1879. The Restoration took 3 years from 1989 to 1992. At night, the white dome is lit so it can be seen for miles in all directions.

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