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State Capitol

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This Capitol was completed in 1934, in the depths of the Great Depression. They eliminated much of the exterior ornament from Holabird and Root's design. For instance, a thirty-foot statue intended for the entry plaza in front of Memorial Hall was reduced to a simple obelisk and eventually was removed altogether. They also deleted the decorative etching from the cornice stones of the Legislative wing and from the spandrels (metal panels between windows) of the administrative tower. The abandonment of exterior embellishment does not deny the building's Art Deco roots; rather, that simplification links the building with the International Style, an architectural order which dominated commercial construction after World War II. Several statues grace the capital grounds including Sakakawea, The Pioneer Family and The Buffalo. Tours are offered.

Location: Bismarck North Dakota Telephone 701-224-2480

Other History nearby:
(Bismarck) Camp Hancock State Historic Site
(Glendale) Catlin Court Historical District
(Driscoll) Chaska Camp Banks State Historic Site
(Mandan) Custer House - Cavalry Square
(New Salem) Custer Trail Museum
(Bismarck) Former Governor's Mansion

02/21 Coming to The Bismarck area