Minnesota State Capitol

Minnesota State Capitol

Legislature is in session during the first half of the year and the Supreme Court hears cases the first week of each month.

Follow the chronological sequence of amply captioned oil portraits of Minnesota governors around the atrium.

Built in 1905 on a hill overlooking downtown St. Paul, the capitol is crowned by the world's largest unsupported marble dome (modeled after the one Michelangelo created for St. Peter's Basilica in Rome). The interior is equally impressive, with its marble stairways, chambers, and halls, as well as its oil paintings. Allow 1 hour.

In Short
The first two capitol buildings were in downtown. When it came time to build the third in 1904, land was too expensive, so legislators acquired an old livery stable. Architect...

The State Capitol, considered by many to be the nation's most beautiful, is a spectacular structure designed by local architect Cass Gilbert. Opened in 1905, it took six years to build and cost $4 million. The building, modeled after St. Peter's in Rome, features a stunning, unsupported 220-foot (67-meter) marble dome and an extravagantly detailed interior. Built on a hill overlooking St. Paul,...

Completed in 1905, the Minnesota State Capitol is used by the Minnesota Governor, Supreme Court, Senate and House of Representatives. Designed by Cass Gilbert, who was known for his classical style and pioneering skyscrapers, the Capitol features the second-largest self-supporting marble dome in the world, works by important 19th- and 20th-century artists, and battle flags from the Civil and...