by It’s time for another visit to a state capitol building, our 12th, for the State of Oklahoma in Oklahoma City.
The Oklahoma State Capitol was built from 1914 to 1917, except for the dome. The original plans included a dome, but pesky cost overruns meant they had to complete it without the dome “for now.”
Well, fast forward just a few years, and the dome was finally completed in 2002, at a cost of nearly $21 million (for comparison, the original building budget, including dome, was $1.5 million)! Every capitol building we’ve seen has had a dome, and it’s hard to imagine one without one. Atop the dome is a 22-foot bronze sculpture called The Guardian.
The exterior of the Greek Revival building is Indiana limestone, with Oklahoma pink granite at the base and Oklahoma black granite for its grand staircase.
Fun fact: this is the only state capitol grounds that has had active oil rigs, as the building is directly atop the Oklahoma City Oil Field. The rigs are not currently in operation, however.
Doug thought the overall impact of the building was a bit “sterile,” likely the result of its more recent dome construction and renovations. You can check out how this capitol ranks (in Doug’s opinion) to the others we’ve toured by clicking here.
