August 11, 2021
NORTH DAKOTA STATE CAPITOL
600 E Boulevard Ave, Bismarck, ND 58505
“The North Dakota State Capitol is the house of government of the U.S. state of North Dakota. The capitol, a 21-story Art Deco tower, is located in Bismarck at 600 East Boulevard Avenue, and is the tallest habitable building in the state.” Wikipedia
Built in 1933, the North Dakota Capitol is one of only four state capitols to utilize a tower and not a dome in its design.
I was given a tour of the capitol by a very nice woman (I wish I would have gotten her name). She filled me with a myriad of facts about the buildings history (this is only the state’s second capitol building and was built on the site of the first capitol), why a tower (the powers researched capitols and determined the tower was the most efficient use of land), building design (art deco with a sprinkling of prairie-style architecture thrown in), and the internal workings of the state’s government (North Dakota is one of four states to meet biennially, or once every two years).
The tour included stops in the Senate and House chambers, which while only separated by a hallway about 20 ft. wide, have entirely different feels due to material and lighting design. I was also able to visit the Supreme Court chamber, as the court was not in session.
The final stop on the tour was the 18th floor, where windows offered up some magnificent panoramic views of the city of Bismarck and the surrounding countryside. It was a clear morning and the docent pointed out a couple spots on the horizon, one 22 miles away and the other 34 miles away.
I found it interesting that the Governor’s Home was on the capitol grounds, about 100 yards from the Capitol building.
The lights in the great hall designed by Joseph Bell DeRemer, who had some training from Frank Lloyd Wrigt, have a prairie-style flavor to them.
The Great Seal of North Dakota. Hangs in the Great Hall. It measures 6 ft. in diameter.
The hallway separating the Senate and House chambers. It is only about 20 ft. wide and houses the seating areas where I'm sure much lobbying takes place while the legislature is in session.
The Senate Chamber
The House Chamber
The Supreme Court Chamber
A view of the mall from the 18th floor. If you look closely on the upper right side of the photo you can see the black roof of the Governor's House.
A view looking west. I've tried to highlight a couple areas. If you look closely the area on the left has some wind towers 22 miles from the capitol building. The right area has smoke from a power plant 34 miles from the capitol.
The walls of the ground floor entryway contain the portraits of the recipients of the Theodore Roosevelt Rough Rider Awards, the highest honor the state of North Dakota bestows on people. Recipients include Lawrence Welk, Roger Maris, Peggy Lee, and Angie Dickinson. There were many more people who were inducted for their work in science, service in the military, or general philanthropy.
The Governor's House.
A beautiful garden that spells out North Dakota in front of the Capitol. Unfortunately, one can only clearly read it from places like the 18th floor observation deck.
A statue honoring the prairie family prominently stands on the mall of the capitol.
A statue honoring Sakakawea, the Native American that accompanied Lewis & Clark expedition.