Architecture
The architectural design of the Capitol, rectangular in form, with great windows and high ceilings, follows the traditional pattern of 19th century planning for public buildings. A modified and refined Renaissance style gives the impression of strength and dignity combined with utility.
The commanding feature is the central towering dome constructed of iron and brick and covered with 23 carat gold. The gold leafing was replaced in 1964-1965 at a cost of $79,938. The dome is surmounted by a lookout lantern that may be reached by long and winding stairs, and it terminates in a finial that is 275 feet above the ground floor. The rotunda beneath the dome is 67 feet in diameter. Four smaller domes of simple design rise from the four corners of the Capitol.
The pediment over the front entrance discloses a fine piece of allegorical sculpture.
Read more about this topic: Iowa State Capitol
Famous quotes containing the word architecture:
“Defaced ruins of architecture and statuary, like the wrinkles of decrepitude of a once beautiful woman, only make one regret that one did not see them when they were enchanting.”
—Horace Walpole (1717–1797)
“For it is not metres, but a metre-making argument, that makes a poem,—a thought so passionate and alive, that, like the spirit of a plant or an animal, it has an architecture of its own, and adorns nature with a new thing.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“Art is a jealous mistress, and, if a man have a genius for painting, poetry, music, architecture or philosophy, he makes a bad husband and an ill provider.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)