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The State Capitol project is starting to seem eternal as we put number 14 on the books: Iowa.
Located in Des Moines, the Iowa State Capitol (also commonly known as the Iowa Statehouse) was completed in 1886.
It’s the only five-domed capitol in the country. It was approved with a $1.5 million budget, but as these things go, wound up costing $2.9 million.
In 1904 a major fire swept through the building, resulting in a large restoration project. At that time, electrical lighting, elevators, and telephones were installed. Over the next several decades, not much was done by way of maintenance, and by the early 1980s, it was obviously major work needed to be done. A restoration from 1998 to 2001 cost $41 million.
The dome is covered in tissue-paper-thin 23-carat gold sheets. The last re-gilding was done 1998-1999 at a cost of nearly half a million dollars.
Doug ranks this capitol in the middle of the pack. Our tour guide was especially enthusiastic, the walkway at the top of the dome made the climb up to it worthwhile, and the law library was stunning! Click here to see how Doug thinks the Iowa State Capitol ranks compared to the others we’ve seen so far.
