South Dakota State Capitol facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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South Dakota State Capitol
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South Dakota State Capitol
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| Location | Bounded by Broadway, Washington, and Capitol Aves., Pierre, South Dakota |
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| Area | 20 acres (8.1 ha) |
| Built | 1905–1910 |
| Built by | O. H. Olson |
| Architect | Bell & Detweiler; Bell & Kinports |
| Architectural style | Renaissance Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 76001737 |
| Added to NRHP | September 1, 1976 |
The South Dakota State Capitol is a very important building in the state of South Dakota. It's where the state's government works. You can find it in Pierre, which is the state capital city. This building is home to the South Dakota State Legislature, which is like the state's law-making team. It also has offices for many state leaders, including the Governor of South Dakota.
Contents
Building the Capitol
Early Construction (1905-1910)
The main part of the Capitol building was built between 1905 and 1910. The plans for the building were made by a company called Bell & Detweiler from Minneapolis. They designed it to look a bit like the Montana State Capitol building. Building the Capitol cost almost $1 million back then.
Adding the Capitol Annex (1931-1932)
Later, in 1921, people started planning to add a big new section to the north side of the building. This new part was called the Capitol Annex. It was designed by a later company of architect Bell, called Bell & Kinports. Building the Annex was expected to cost about $500,000. The building plans were ready in 1931, and the Annex was finished in 1932.
Cool Features Inside
Unique Terrazzo Floor
The floor inside the Capitol building is made of a special type of tile called terrazzo. People say that 66 Italian artists laid this floor. To let them leave their mark, each artist was supposedly given a blue stone to place somewhere in the floor. However, only 55 of these blue stones have been found so far. It's thought that the other stones might be hidden under walls, doors, or carpets now.
Grand Staircase and Gown Collection
From the first floor, a beautiful marble staircase leads up to the next level. Right in front of this staircase, you can see display cases. These cases hold the First Lady Gown Collection. This collection has tiny copies of the dresses worn by each first lady of South Dakota to the state's special inaugural ball. These small dresses are worn by dolls in the display cases. Next to each doll, you can also see a picture of the governor's family and other special items.
The Amazing Rotunda and Dome
When you go up the marble staircase to the second floor, you enter a large, round room called the rotunda. The dome above this room is very tall, about 96 feet high! The bottom part of the dome looks like ribbons tied together. This design is meant to show that government lasts forever.
There's a fun secret in the rotunda too: one of the pillars on the right side of the railing, the third one from the top, is actually upside down! This happened by mistake when the staircase was being built. The inside of the dome is decorated with 16 pictures of the Tree of Life. You can also see acanthus leaves, which stand for wisdom, and the pasque flower, which is South Dakota's state flower.
Legislative Floors
The third floor of the Capitol is where the state's lawmakers meet. This includes the South Dakota House of Representatives and the South Dakota Senate. If you want to watch them make laws, you can go to the fourth floor. That's where the public viewing areas, called galleries, are located.
Memorials Outside the Capitol
There are four special memorials on the grounds around the Capitol building.
- The Fighting Stallions Memorial is a sculpture that honors eight people from South Dakota who died in a plane crash on April 19, 1993. This group included Governor George S. Mickelson.
- The Flaming Fountain Memorial is a fountain with a flame that burns all the time, powered by natural gas. It was built to honor veterans from South Dakota.
- The Law Enforcement Officer Memorial remembers police officers who have died while doing their job.
- The World War II Memorial has six bronze figures on a small piece of land in Capitol Lake. Each figure represents one of the military groups where South Dakotans served during World War II. There are also statues honoring veterans from the Korean War and the Vietnam War.
Besides these four memorials, you can also find statues from the Trail of Governors around the Capitol. This trail has bronze statues of every former governor of South Dakota.
Capitol Renovations
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Before South Dakota's 100th birthday celebration in 1989, the Capitol building was fixed up a lot. This big project took 22 years! It happened during the time of several governors, including Richard F. Kneip and George S. Mickelson. The renovation brought back much of the building's original look, including the beautiful tile floor.
When the floor was repaired, each new worker was given a heart-shaped stone to place in the new floor. This was just like how the original workers used blue stones. Starting in 2013, work began to fix the stained glass windows throughout the building. This project cost $2.7 million and was finished in time for South Dakota's 125th Anniversary celebrations on October 1.
See also
In Spanish: Capitolio del Estado de Dakota del Sur para niños
