Cupolas of Capitalism
State Capitol Building Histories

States from NO to O
View States: A-B,  C-E,  F-IL,  IN-K,  L-ME,  MI-MO,  N-NE,  NO-O,  P-S,  T-V,  W-Z

Oblique Front Elevation.

View of the Oregon State Capitol Building.
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)
North Carolina Raleigh (Historic State Capitol & Legislative Building) Historic State Capitol at 1 E. Edenton St. (between N. Salisbury & N. Wilmington Streets) / bird's eye view rotated to show East Front from MS Bing; street and 3D view from Google Maps; and 3D model from 3D Warehouse.

1833, Capitol designed and construction started / William Nichols Jr.

1833, Nichols replaced by Ithiel Town and Alexander Jackson Davis, who modify and enhance Nichols design, giving the capitol its final exterior appearance.

1834-40, David Paton brought in by Town and Davis as resident superintendent of construction, eventually replacing them as Capitol architect.  He modified some of their designs for the interior.

1888, Supreme Court and State Library moved to a new building.

1971-76, Old Senate and House chambers and first floor executive offices renovated.  Exterior stone cleaned and sealed, interior repainted, plaster repaired, and copper roof replaced.  Plumbing, heating, and electrical systems updated / ? architect.
 
 
Legislative Building at 16 W. Jones St. (between N. Salisbury & N. Wilmington Streets) / bird's eye view from MS Bing; street view and 3D view from Google Maps; and 3D model from 3D Warehouse.

1963, new Legislative Building completed / Edward Durell Stone.		 Historic photo showing a general view of the North Carolina State Capitol Building. From the Library of Congress's Historic American Buildings Survey.
Greek Revival capitol building features a short octagonal drum capped with a dome and anthemion (crown, no cupola).  Approx. 98 feet tall.  More info offsite from the State Capitol Foundation; an official description and history, photo tour, and visiting info from NCHS; photos, history, and video tour from ncpedia.org; and an archived building history from the State Library.  A photo album from Edward Crim provides additional coverage.

The North Carolina Legislature site includes a photo gallery of the new Legislative Building built in the International Style.  Tour info and a short building description is available from the North Carolina Museum of History.
North Dakota Bismarck 600 E. Boulevard Ave. (between N. 4th & State Streets) / bird's eye view from MS Bing; street and 3D view from Google Maps; and 3D model from 3D Warehouse.

1920-24, Liberty Memorial building designed and built / Joseph B. DeRemer and William F. Kirke.

1931-34, office tower and 3 story Legislative wing designed and built / John A. Holabird and John W. Root (Holabird and Root), with Joseph B. DeRemer and William F. Kirke.

1977-81, Judicial wing added / ? architect.		 North Dakota State Capitol Building. Early 21st century photo courtesy of Robert Dolton.
Flat topped 20 story tower.  Art Deco in style, but with traces of the International Style to come.  Approx. 242 feet tall.  More info offsite with an official building history and photo gallery.  A virtual tour of the Judicial wing that includes some general views of the capitol complex is available from the North Dakota Supreme Court website.  Still more photos and panoramas of the capitol and its grounds are available from The Real North Dakota Project.  Edward Crim helps round out the photographic coverage with this fine picture album.
Ohio Columbus 77 S. High St. (between E. Broad & E. State Streets) / bird's eye view showing south side, and rotated showing partially obscured west front from MS Bing; street and maybe forthcoming 3D view from Google Maps; and 3D model from 3D Warehouse.

1838-40, Statehouse designed and construction of foundations begun / Henry Walter, supervising architect and winner of the original design competition.  Project moves forward as a blend of Walter's winning submission and those of second and third place winners architect Martin E. Thompson and landscape artist Thomas Cole.

1848-54, construction continues after an eight year lull.  Exterior nearing completion by 1854 / William Russell West.

1854-57, construction continues, with focus on interiors.  Heating and ventilation system incorporated into design.  In 1857, building opens to public and Legislature convenes in its new chambers / Nathan B. Kelley.

1858-61, completion of interiors.  Rotunda and cupola take on their final form / Isaiah Rogers.

1899-1901, separate judiciary annex building added to site / Samuel Hannaford & Sons.

1963-64, parking garage constructed under capitol's front lawn / ? architect.

1989-96, general restoration of statehouse and annex.  New atrium added to connect the buildings.  Annex reopened in 1993 as the Senate Building / Schooley Caldwell Associates.

2006-09, new statehouse museum of nearly 15000 s.f. created on the ground floor (a.k.a. the crypt) / Hilferty and Associates.		 North elevation of the Ohio State Capitol Building. Photo from June of 2003, courtesy of Pat and Debbi Furrie.
Greek Revival capitol building features a large and nearly flat topped drum tower covering an interior dome.  The drum tower was originally designed to support an exterior dome and cupola, but those plans were abandoned.  158 feet tall from ground to top of finial that caps the tower.  More info offsite from the official Ohio Statehouse website, including building description, history, photos, videos, and tours.  Other resources include a detailed building history from the state legislature site; photos and a project description from the architects of the recent restoration; and a substantial building photo album from Edward Crim.
Oklahoma Oklahoma City 2300 N. Lincoln Blvd. (between NE. 21st & NE. 23rd Streets) / bird's eye view from MS Bing; street and maybe forthcoming 3D view from Google Maps; and 3D model from 3D Warehouse.

1914-17, Capitol designed and built.  A classic central dome and cupola were part of the original plans, but construction only progressed up to the dome base.  The rotunda was capped with a concealed, shallow, saucer shaped dome instead / Solomon Andrew Layton and S. Wemyss Smith.

1934, shallow domed ceiling of rotunda remodeled / ? architect.

2000-02, major dome, cupola, and statue added, replacing the old saucer shaped dome ceiling from 1934 / Frankfurt Short Bruza Architects, Engineers, and Planners.		 South elevation of the Oklahoma State Capitol Building. Photo from the summer of 2006, courtesy of Pat Furrie.
Greek Revival style statehouse recently capped with a dome, cupola, and a Native American statue named The Guardian.  Approx. 255 feet tall from ground to top of crowning statue.  More info offsite with a short building description and construction history from the Oklahoma Historical Society.  The dome project architect's discontinued Oklahoma State Capitol Dome website survives thanks to the Internet Archive.  An animated exhibit about building the capitol and its dome from the Oklahoma Department of Libraries, and an Adobe Acrobat file on the new dome construction from the State Senate endure at the Internet Archive as well.  The Oklahoma Arts Council website includes a display of art around the capitol.  More building photos are available from Edward Crim.  Valerie Mockaitis offers a short photo essay featuring the new dome.  Historic pre-dome photos are available here.
Oregon Salem 900 Court St. NE. (between Winter St. NE. & Capitol St. NE.) / bird's eye view rotated to show front from MS Bing; street and maybe forthcoming 3D view from Google Maps; and 3D model from 3D Warehouse.

1935-38, present capitol designed and built  / Francis Keally of Trowbridge and Livingston.  Previous Italian Renaissance Revival capitol building had been destroyed by fire in 1935.

1977, House and Senate wing additions / Wolf, Zimmer, Gunsul, Frasca.

1994-95, drum tower seismic retrofit and restoration / Miller Consulting Engineers.

2007-08, House and Senate wing restoration project.  ADA compliance work and renovation of substandard mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems / Pivot Architecture as restoration architect, with Heery International providing project management services.
 General view of the Oregon State Capitol Building. Photo taken in June, 2003. Courtesy of Pat and Debbi Furrie
Art Deco style capitol building.  Large flat topped drum tower with statue called Oregon Pioneer covers an interior dome (no exterior dome and cupola).  Approx. 173 feet tall from ground to top of crowning statue according to a survey from Wilhelm Engineering, Inc.  More info offsite with this official virtual tour.  The Oregon state legislature website offers visitor info, video tours, and photos of the building and grounds.  A previous virtual tour and building history survive on the Internet Archive.  Historic construction photos and records are available from the Oregon State Archives.  The Salem Oregon Community Guide offers another photo tour.

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