Architecture, Paintings, and Statuary
The Missouri State Capitol is notable for its architectural features, including its eight 48-foot (15 m) columns on the south portico and six 40-foot (12 m) columns on the north side; its 30-foot (9 m)-wide grand stairway and its bronze front doors, each 13 by 18 feet (5 m) -- at the time, the largest cast since the Roman era.
Statuary is a prominent feature of the Capitol grounds. Heroic bronze figures depicting Missouri's two historicaly great rivers, the Mississippi and the Missouri, by Robert Aitken, and a 13-foot (4 m) statue of Thomas Jefferson, by James Earle Fraser, dominate the south entrance. A Karl Bitter bronze relief, depicting the signing of the Louisiana Purchase by Livingston, Monroe and Marbois, and the Fountain of the Centaurs, created by A.A. Weinman, are the most outstanding features on the north grounds.
The north side of the building contains a frieze showing the history of Missouri by Hermon Atkins MacNeil, while the theme is continued on the south side by Alexander Stirling Calder. The figure of Ceres on the top of the dome is by Sherry Fry and the pediment over the main entrance is by Weinman.
The Capitol's first floor features the State Museum. Paintings, pediments and friezes decorate the Capitol interior. A prime attraction is a series of Thomas Hart Benton murals in the House Lounge. The grand staircase is flanked by large heroic bronze statues of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, and the third-floor rotunda is the site of the Hall of Famous Missourians, a group of bronze busts of many prominent Missourians honored for their achievements and contributions to the state.
The structure also features a whispering gallery high within the dome; a small viewing platform is on the dome's roof beneath the statue of Ceres. These areas are not normally open to the public except for special tours and school tours.
The capitol is Jefferson City's leading tourist attraction. It is a destination for school groups who arrive by busloads, particularly during General Assembly sessions. Students fill the galleries to watch the Senate and House of Representatives in action.
The architectural firm that designed this building also designed Ridgewood High School in Ridgewood, New Jersey.
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