State Capitol - Springfield, Illinois - American Guide Series on Waymarking.com

The STATE CAPITOL, 300 S. Block on 2nd St., was designed by John C. Cochrane, and constructed between 1868-87 at a cost of $4,000,000.  It is a cruciform limestone structure of Renaissance design, topped with a lofty dome.  The octa-style facades are identical in their sandstone pediments and polished granite columns, save for east wing, where the portico is flanked by twin turrets.  At the base  of the dome are four groups of Corinthian columns supporting balustrades. Twenty large circular-headed windows light the rotunda.  The observation tower on the ribbed dome is 361 feet high.

The interior of the building is decorated with marble, blue limestone, and Missouri granite.  State offices and assembly rooms open on corridors radiating from the rotunda, which extends upward six stories to the inner dome.  On the first floor, facing the Second Street  entrance, stands the bronze figure of Illinois Welcoming the World, brought from the Illinois Building after the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893; along the south corridor are murals depicting scenes and events of Illinois history.  Above the landing of the grand staircase that leads to the second floor is a large canvas portraying George Rogers Clark negotiating a treaty with the Indians.  On the second floor are the offices of various  State officials, including the auditor, treasurer, secretary of state, and Governor.  In the latter's reception room hang portraits of former Governors.  The third floor contains a large legal library, the assembly rooms of the Senate and House of Representatives, and the offices of the Lieutenant Governor and the Speaker of the House.  On the fourth floor are the galleries of both legislative branches.

Near the peak of the rotunda are eight statues of prominent Illinoisans, identified by plaques.  A frieze depicting scenses from Sate history encircles the base of the inner dome.  Both frieze and statues were designed by F. Nicolai, who died before the work was completed.  Each statue was planned to supplement a panel of the frieze.  After Nicolai's dath it was discovered that the panels had not been placed in proper sequence.  No realignment has been made because the artist left no key to his work.

From its slightly elevated site of the capitol overlooks the whole of Springfield; its dome is visible for miles from all directions.  Dominating the broad walk that leads to the Second Street entrance is Andrew O'Connor's statue of Lincoln, backed by a granite slab inscribed with his Farewell Address.  Farther along the walk is the short sturdy figure of Stephen A. Douglas, U.S. Senator from Illinois, and opponent of Lincoln in the debates of 1858; the statue is the work of Gilbert Riswold.  Statues of other Illinois statesmen--Richard Yates, John M. Palmer, and Pierre Menard--adorn the spacious lawn. - Illinois: A Descriptive and Historical Guide, Springfield section pgs 389-390.

The description is the Guide still holds true for the most part.  Additional statues have been added to the grounds and inside the Capitol to honor more recent Illinois statesmen.  Over the years the Capitol building has undergone various restoration project in various phases.  A very good website showing many interior photos and giving a more complete history of the building is The Illinois State Capitol