Minnesota Capitol Building
I recently took a tour of the Minnesota State Capitol building to see its newly finished $31 million renovations. Although I had visited the capitol as a child, I had no memory of the building or any of its history.
One of the first topics covered on the tour was about the architect. His name was Cass Gilbert, and the Minnesota capitol was his breakout project. He was from the area, and relatively unknown prior to the building, but he was the winner of several contests utilized to determine who should design the building. He went on later in his life to design several other state capitols as well as buildings in Washington DC for the federal government.
Gilbert and others in charge of the project decided early on that the building would be quite grandiose in order to display Minnesota as a capable and strong state. The Civil War plays a prominent role in the artwork of the capitol because of the state’s pride in being the first state to supply troops for the war, as well as their various other contributions to the war effort. There are two pieces that have a controversy surrounding them currently due to their problematic portrayal of a painful time in Native American history.
Despite wanting to keep up appearances of capability and grandeur, the artwork throughout the capitol are sprinkled with tiny dashes of things that are true to Minnesota and its people. For example, in the governor’s meeting room, which is covered in what looks like gold leaf, there are actually tiny engravings of plants like corn, wheat and acorns. There are countless northern stars and lady slippers that dot the walls everywhere. The giant rotunda showcases materials found in Minnesota. Images of common Minnesotan people line the ceiling, for example a milkmaid.
Although we visited both chambers of congress, my favorite area was the Supreme Court. In all three meeting rooms there were inscriptions on the walls that only those who worked in the room could see, reminding them what their job was. In the supreme court room, we learned that the court only chooses to hear about 10% of the cases brought to it, and 70% of the cases heard end unanimous. We also learned that the Minnesota Supreme Court was the first Supreme Court to have a women majority, as well as the first to live stream a case online.
One of the final places we talked about was the enormous rotunda in the center of the building- the second largest self-supporting marble rotunda in the world. It is a beautiful structure lined with intricate artwork that makes it quite breathtaking.
Overall, it was a great experience to walk the halls of the capitol. I learned a lot about the building’s history, the restoration and the state itself. I would strongly reccomend that any Minnesotan with an hour to spare take the time to tour the capitol of the American Siberia.
