Illinois State Capitol

Born and raised in Chicago I thought I'd seen it all. Then a work trip took me to the state capitol. And boy what a treat. To see where our 16th president lived and served

A slice of history served up in pictures and the library

If you've never experienced Springfield and it's rich history you must go there.

Lincoln's house and the original capitol still stands along with the largest living mansion also knows as the governor's mansion.

Go there and enjoy

Continuing my quest to visit all fifty state capitols, Springfield is the 45th in the list https://www.yelp.com/collection/ucwQvyGY8sZEDHaN49HU5Q with Missouri next week and then only Oregon, Washington, Alaska and Hawaii will remain.

The Illinois State Capitol follows similar design to many other state capitols, with wings with a central dome and rotunda in the French Renaissance / Italianate style. Construction started in 1868 and completed in 1888. It has four wings in a cross shape and interesting the dome is covered in zinc so that it does not weather or corrode like copper or other materials. It is the tallest domed capitol in the United States, even larger than the federal capitol in Washington DC.

This building is the SIXTH in the series of state capitols and is the third city to house the capitol of Illinois following Kaskaskia and Vandalia as earlier locations. The capitol was in another building here in in Springfield from 1837 until 1868.

Beautiful from all angles and available for tours (with security), there is a lot to see inside including a beautiful rotunda, lots of statues and friezes and more. Well worth the time to check it out.

[Review 19691 overall - 145 in Illinois - 663 of 2023.]

The Illinois State Capitol is the tallest domed capitol and also one of the most beautiful. It just doesn't have the sheer size of some of the other top capitol buildings. When I arrived at the capitol and stopped at the visitor's desk, I was surprised to find out that someone would be called over shortly to give me a personal tour. Usually tours are done at a pre set time, and there are some capitols that will not even do a tour for one person. I was very happy to get my personal tour of this historic and beautiful capitol, and learn about the history of the building. Some of the building was inaccessible due to some restoration work going on. After my tour I was able to explore on my own and snap plenty of pictures. I was particularly impressed by the mural on the staircase, although there are nice murals and statues throughout the building. And I was in awe as I looked up into the dome from the rotunda. When you look up into it then it's clear how much taller it is than other capitols. It you like visiting historic capitol buildings do not miss the one in Illinois.

On our trip to see President Lincoln sites we visited the Illinois State Capital building. It was absolutely beautiful! We took the ~25 minute tour where we learned it is the tallest capitol in the US. It was not only an impressive building but we learned women had the right to vote 3 years before the US allowed women to vote. And that they had a black state legislator in the 1920s. Progressive history that gave us hope for America.

A Great State to live in or visit, centrally located between so many other States around the Great Lakes. Of course you can't come to Illinois without visiting Chicago, home of the Chicago Marathon and soooo many amazing places to eat and hang out. Don't forget to pronounce it correctly, ending in "NOY" and leaving out the "s"

No visit to Springfield is complete without a visit to the Capitol building. It is the center of Illinois government. The building is topped with a 405-foot dome and is a combination of Renassance Revival and Second Empire Style. You can watch Illinois politics in action from balcony-level seating when the legislature is in session.

I have mixed reviews on the things we saw in Springfield but this wasn't one of them. We made a b-line to the Capitol building when we spotted it from 6th street. Can't say I've seen a building this large with a silver (not gold) dome. That aspect alone could have made the building unique. It got better on the inside though, a trip we only made because my son insisted. After walking down a hallway you come to the middle of the building which offers an awe-inspiring look upwards at the beautiful dome interior, murals, statues and other forms of art. The third floor offers the best look at the interior, especially the dome interior.
If you're in Springfield do yourself a favor and make this a priority. Aside from Abe's Tomb we didn't find anything else in town quite as interesting as the Capitol building.

Awesome architecture.

See where the govna signs things, the Senate, and a quick 20 min tour. Was cool!

Interesting, filled with history, and breathtakingly beautiful. From golden ceilings to a remarkably stained glass rotunda, the second largest in the country, this building has it all. View the workplaces of the house and the senate, along with the state room, of Illinois. I could visit a million times and still be absolutely mesmerized. I loved it!

We had toured Wisconsin's capitol several months earlier, and felt like we needed to tour Illinois capitol since that is where we've lived all our lives. Wisconsin's was way more impressive and fun. Had to go thru a metal detector here in Illinois, maybe since alot of our politicians are corrupt they feel more vulnerable to civilian attack?

It was a decent tour, our guide had alot of fun facts. Glad that Blago did NOT have his portrait on the wall, but our other govs that have lived in prison cells were still up there. Why? Building is not big but is very tall. No other buildings in Springfield can be taller, per current law.

We learned that in the senate and house, the keep the Republicans and Democrats separated!! Why, would they duke it out?! Politicians?

Learned another fun fact. Richard J Daley was initially a Republican, but could not get realected so he switched to Democrat! And I live close to Chi town. Never heard that factoid B4. Learn something new every day if you keep your ears open...