Illinois has had six Capitol buildings, one in Kaskaskia, three in Vandalia, and two in Springfield. The building contains the chambers of the Illinois General Assembly, which is comprised of the Illinois House of Representatives and the Illinois Senate. The building also has an office for the governor of Illinois, additional offices and committee rooms. The footprint of the capitol is in the shape of a cross, with four equal wings.
Its high central dome and the roofs of the towers are coated with zinc to create a silver façade that does not withstand the weather. Follett describes it as a building of monumental scale and rich in details. The interior of the dome features a plaster frieze painted with a bronze appearance, which illustrates scenes from the history of Illinois, and stained glass windows, including a stained glass replica of the state seal on the oculus of the dome. Wanting to locate the capital in the interior of the state, the first General Assembly asked Congress to grant adequate public land.
Congress offered, and the state accepted, a parcel of land along the Kaskaskia River, about eighty miles northeast of Kaskaskia. This location, to be called Vandalia, Illinois, was selected in part in the hope of encouraging settlers to settle in expanding areas of the state. The state allowed the lease of Kaskaskia's first capital to expire and moved to Vandalia. By the end of the year, the site of Starved Rock, Illinois' first state park, had been transferred to the state.
Here in Illinois you can wander through yesterday, or at least yesterday, from government buildings. After the American Revolution, Kaskaskia became the capital of the U.S. territory of Illinois until Illinois attained statehood in 1818. As water was the primary mode of transportation during the early days of European colonization, it's no surprise that Illinois's first capital was on the Mississippi River. Illinois was first established not from the north along Lake Michigan, but from the Mississippi River, from where the population moved to the northeast.
The Illinois State Capitol, located in Springfield, Illinois, houses the legislative and executive branches of government of the U. The first was located in Kaskaskia, Illinois, a city on the banks of the Mississippi River founded by the French in 1709. The situation worsened even more when the Mississippi changed course in the late 19th century, completely isolating Kaskaskia from Illinois. As Illinois prospered and experienced several population booms, the fifth capital became crowded, especially as a result of relocations after the Civil War. Illinois legislators in the 1870s thought scantily clad women were too bold, but Iowans raised no objection.
With a total height of 361 feet (110 m), the Illinois Capitol is the tallest capitol without skyscrapers, even exceeding the height of the U. The current building is the sixth to serve as a capitol building since Illinois was admitted to the United States in 1818.
