View the original source document: WHI The first territorial capitol, located at Old Belmont, in present-day Lafayette County, was built by James Atchison out of prefabricated pieces shipped from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The shipment traveled down the Ohio and up the Mississippi Rivers by steamboat to Galena, Illinois, where the lumber was transferred to wagons and hauled the remaining 30 miles to Belmont. The building, measuring 25 feet by 40 feet, was two stories high and was lathed with split oak covered with plaster on the inside, making a very substantial frame building for the time and place. This building was rented to the territory for use by the first territorial legislature lawmakers, who huddled in the cold during the fall and winter of to build the framework that would evolve into the state of Wisconsin 12 years later.
They met from October 25 to December 9, , put 42 laws on the books, established a judicial system, called for roads and railroads, and firmly established Wisconsin's territorial government. The first order of business was the selection of the site of the permanent capitol.
After a complicated and contentious debate, Madison was chosen, with Burlington Iowa selected as the site of a second temporary location until , by which time a permanent capitol would be completed in Madison. After the legislature adjourned, the First Temporary Capitol building was used a home and later as a barn until it was purchased by the state in Later it was restored and became one of Wisconsin's 12 historic sites and museums.
Learn more history and how you can plan your visit to First Capitol , a Wisconsin historic site. The second temporary capitol had a very short life.
Major Jerry Smith, of Burlington, Iowa built the new building during the summer and fall of The building of the permanent capitol in Madison began in the same time frame. On December 12, halfway through the session, the temporary Burlington capitol burned down.
Throughout the legislature met in two separate existing buildings in Burlington. In the U. Congress created the Territory of Iowa, which forced the Wisconsin legislature to move to Madison sooner than intended.
WHI Belmont was the first capitol of the Wisconsin Territory, and the territorial legislature met here for 46 days in Legislators met in the council house and passed 42 laws; which would become the basis of law and order when Wisconsin became a state 12 years later. A second building, the Supreme Court building was never used for its intended purpose.
In addition, there was a lodging house built for the legislators, and a residence for the governor. James Doty, one of the legislators, lobbied hard for a city on which he owned land, Madison, to be declared the capitol. The legislature ended their first and last session in Belmont in December ; thereafter Madison was the permanent capitol. Usages Main Usage. Facts The dome is topped with a statue of "Wisconsin" that is exactly 15 feet, 5 inches tall.
This is exactly three feet and one-half inch shorter than the United States Capitol in Washington , D. It was named a National Historic Landmark in Its impressive dome is the largest dome by volume built within the United States.
This is the third state capitol building in Madison. It replaced the Wisconsin State Capitol which was destroyed by fire on February 27, The building is a focal point in Madison, occupying the narrowest part of the Isthmus between Lakes Mendota and Monona. The City Council passed an ordinance that prohibits any future buildings within a mile of the capitol from exceeding the height of the base of columns beneath the dome. Do you need more information about this building and its related companies?
More Information. Location Address as text. Technical Data Height tip. Original decorative stencils were repaired stairs, which had been sealed during the s, were uncovered. The exterior granite was cleaned and repaired by workers who rappelled down from the dome. The renovation plan also included integrating modern technology into the original architecture. Electrical, mechanical such as plumbing and heating , and communications systems were upgraded; asbestos was removed, and air conditioning was added.
The capitol basement floor was lowered two feet to provide additional usable office space. Legislative offices were rebuilt as two-room suites originally legislators did not have offices in the capitol, only their desks in the Senate and Assembly chambers. Modern office furniture was designed to look like the original oak furniture. Architect Post planned an elaborate sculpture program for the building. Initially the commission for the statue of Wisconsin on the top of the dome was promised to Helen Farnsworth Mears but when Daniel Chester French agreed to produce the finial figure, the commission was switched to him.
This work, often referred to as the "Golden Lady", consists of an allegorical figure reminiscent of Athena , dressed in Greek garb, and wearing a helmet topped by a badger, the Wisconsin state totem. In the left hand it holds a globe with an eagle perched on top. Across its chest is a large W, for Wisconsin. Post's original concept for the building required four small domes to be placed at the base of the large one, but the plans were changed and the domes were replaced by four sculptural groups by Karl Bitter.
Each of the four wings of the building is fronted by a pediment whose figures relate to the principal activities that were to occur within. Bitter's other pediment, the west, is Agriculture , while Attilio Piccirilli 's Wisdom and Learning of the World adorns the north pediment. The carving of all these sculptures is attributed to the Piccirilli Brothers. North pediment by Attilio Piccirilli.
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