Cupolas of Capitalism
State Capitol Building Histories

States from L to ME
View States: A-BC-EF-ILIN-KL-MEMI-MON-NENO-OP-ST-VW-Z

Oblique front elevation.

Oblique view of the Maine State House.
Historic postcard image courtesy of Chris Miller.

States with Capitol Buildings featuring prominent exterior cupolas are highlighted in yellow.  Historical information appearing on this page comes from the same sources acknowledged on the first page of this gallery.

Click on any picture to see an enlarged version, or to view the other historic images available in the Cupolas of Capitalism Picture Gallery.  Note as previously mentioned, the 3D links from Google may require the enabling of the map's "Globe View" and satellite map style, and/or a browser plug-in, to display correctly.

 
STATE CITY STATE CAPITOL STREET ADDRESS(es) / BUILDING DATE(s) / ARCHITECT(s) BLDG. DESCRIPTION(s), IMAGE(s) and SITE LINK(s)
Louisiana Baton Rouge
(Old & New State Capitols)
Old State Capitol at 100 North Blvd. (at S. River Rd.) / bird's eye view rotated to show front from MS Bing; street and 3D view from Google Maps; and 3D model from 3D Warehouse.

1847-1852, Old State Capitol designed and built.  Now known as the Museum of Political History / James Harrison Dakin.

1862, fire guts Old State Capitol.

1880-82, Old State Capitol rebuilt, adding fourth floor, spiral stairs and stained glass dome / William Freret.

1915, larger turrets removed from Old State Capitol.

1937-39, WPA renovation of Old State Capitol.  Smaller turrets removed / ? architect.

1982-94, restoration of Old State Capitol / E. Eean McNaughton Architects.
 
 
New State Capitol at 900 N. 3rd St. (at State Capitol Dr.) / bird's eye view from MS Bing; street and 3D view from Google Maps; and 3D model from 3D Warehouse.

1930-32, New State Capitol designed and built / Weiss, Dreyfous, and Seiferth.

ca. 1985, New State Capitol restoration of Senate chambers / Charles E. Schwing & Associates.
West elevation of the Old Louisiana State Capitol Building.  Photo courtesy of Robert Dolton.
Old State Capitol is a Gothic Revival castle
with a dome enclosed in a central tower block.  See the website of Louisiana's Secretary of State for a short article about the building, or the building's own website for a more detailed account.  A photo gallery is available from the architects behind the recent restoration.

Front view of the Louisiana State Capitol Building. Photo courtesy of Pat and Debbie Furrie.
New State Capitol is an Art Deco skyscraper
topped with a multi-tiered cupola.  450 feet tall.  More info offsite with virtual tours from the Louisiana State Legislature website.  Official coverage includes a short article and an archived photo essay.  The National Park Service provides its own summary of the building and its history.  More photos of the Old and New Capitols may be found through the Louisiana Office of Tourism Imagebase.  Unofficial photo essays that cover the New and the Old State Capitol Buildings appear on the Glass, Steel and Stone website.  Greg English offers a photo tour on his Louisiana101 website.  Still more capitol building photos are available on Edward Crim's site.
Maine Augusta 210 State St. (at Capitol St.) / bird's eye view rotated to show front from MS Bing; street and 3D view from Google Maps; and 3D model from 3D Warehouse.

1828-32 Capitol designed and built / Charles Bulfinch.

1852 & 1860, interior remodeling / ? architect.

1889-91, West (rear) Wing added / John C. Spofford.

1909-11, most of original building except front and rear walls demolished in a major remodeling and expansion.  North and South Wings extended, and dome replaced with a much taller one in the Beaux Arts style / G. Henri Desmond.

1998-present, Capitol building renovation, with new underground pedestrian tunnel and exhibition hall connecting West Wing with a state office building / Weinrich + Burt.
Historic drawing showing the Maine State Capitol Building, circa 1910. From a photocopy in the Historic American Buildings Survey (Library of Congress).  Original is in the collection of the Maine Historical Society, Portland, Maine.
Statehouse with original Greek Revival central core
and later Neoclassical additions.  Central circular drum tower capped with dome and cupola.  185 feet tall.  The cupola is capped with a statue of Wisdom.  More info offsite with this brief building history, an official photo tour (thanks to the Internet Archive), and a short building summary.  An extensive photo gallery is also available from photographer Edward Crim.
Maryland Annapolis 100 State Cir. (near intersection of Bladen St. & College Ave.) / aerial view from MS Bing; street and maybe a forthcoming 3D view from Google Maps, and 3D model from 3D Warehouse.

1771-79, State House designed and built / Joseph Horatio Anderson (exteriors) and Joseph Clark (interiors), with Charles Wallace (builder).

1785-97, new dome added, replacing the original / Joseph Clark.

1858, semi-octagonal bay at rear replaced with a larger octagonal annex for the State Library; House of Delegates Chamber enlarged; two state archive rooms converted to committee use / ? architect.

1876-78, major remodeling, changing windows and modernizing Senate and House chambers.  Historic gallery and fireplace removed in the Senate Chamber / George Frederick.

1886, annex added to back of State Library annex / ? architect.

1902-05, removed the 1858 and 1886 annexes and new annex built to contain new Senate and House chambers.  Historic Senate chamber restored to its appearance when Congress met there in 1783-84 / Baldwin and Pennington.

1989-92, restoration work in Senate and House chambers / ? architect.

1996, dome restoration work & replacement of its acorn finial / Ziger/Snead Architects.

2007-09, restoration of original House of Delegates and Senate chambers.  Modernization of HVAC, plumbing, and electrical systems / Davis, Bowen & Friedel.
Front view of the Maryland State Capitol Building. Photo courtesy of Pat and Debbi Furrie, taken in June of 2003.
Georgian style original State House
has an octagonal wooden drum tower capped with a dome and cupola.  Neoclassical annex.  181 feet tall from grade to top of weathervane.  More building pictures and info, a photo history, a pdf brochure, and a virtual tour on display on official government websites.  A building description and a pdf copy of its nomination report to the National Register of Historic Places are available from the Maryland Historical Trust.  A few other views of the State House are available on the Maryland State Archive site.  A large photo gallery is available from photographer Edward Crim.
Massachusetts Boston
(Old & New State Houses)
Old State House at 206 Washington St. (at State St.) / bird's eye view rotated for visibility from MS Bing; street and 3D view from Google Maps; and 3D model from 3D Warehouse.

1712-13, Old State House designed and built (now a museum) / ? architect.

1747, remodeling after fire guts interior and damages exterior of Old State House/ ? architect.

1798, Old State House renovated for commercial use.

1830-40, Old State House renovated and used as Boston City Hall / Isaiah Rogers & William Washburn.

1840-80, Old State House returned to commercial use.  Mansard roof, porch, and billboards added in this period.

1881-82, restoration returns Old State House to a more historical appearance recalling its time as a seat of state government.  Lion & unicorn returned to east elevation. Upstairs converted into museum / work completed under city architect George Clough & councilman William Whitmore.

1907, Old State House restoration, paint removed from exterior bricks / Joseph Chandler.

1921, attic fire damages upper two floors and cupola of Old State House.

1942-43, Old State House Council Chamber restoration / Perry, Hepburn, & Shaw.

1956, sundial added facing State Street on Old State House.

1990-92, extensive Old State House restoration / Goody, Clancy & Associates.

2008, tower restoration and masonry repairs on Old State House / Tellalian Associates Architects & Planners, LLC, working with Bill Barlow, senior historical architect from the National Park Service.
 
 
New State House at 24 Beacon St. (at Park St.) / bird's eye view from MS Bing; street and 3D view from Google Maps; and 3D model from 3D Warehouse.

1795-98, New State House designed and built (central portion and dome) / Charles Bulfinch.

1831, rear addition to New State House / Isiah Rogers.

1853-56, expansion of rear addition on New State House / Gridley Bryant.

1889-95, further extension of rear additions on New State House / Charles Brigham.

1914-17, two side wings added to New State House / R. Clipson Sturgis, William Chapman, and Robert Andrew.

1997, dome regilded on New State House / Goody, Clancy & Associates.

2000-02, exterior cleaning and restoration of New State House / Goody, Clancy & Associates.
Late 20th Century photo of the Old Massachusetts State House. From the Library of Congress's Historic American Buildings Survey.
Georgian style Old State House
features a tower cupola.  More info and photos are available offsite here, on the Boston Historical Society website, and here, part of the iBoston website.

Front view of the Massachusetts State Capitol Building. Photo courtesy of Pat and Debbi Furrie, taken in June of 2003.
Federal Style New State House
sports a gold gilded dome and cupola capped with a pine cone shaped ornament.  59 feet tall.  More info offsite with an official building guide and virtual tours here and here.  An earlier virtual tour is available via the Internet Archive.  Also available are photo essays here, from the iBoston website, and here, from Valerie Mockaitis.  Edward Crim also offers many other building photos.

View States: A-BC-EF-ILIN-KL-MEMI-MO,
N-NENO-OP-ST-VW-Z,  or Back to Building Galleries

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