State Capitols – Des Moines, Iowa - Inside

Since we arrived in Des Moines on a Sunday afternoon, we had to stay overnight in order to get inside. As luck would have it, Sunday was a bright, clear day…ideal for wandering the grounds and discovering views of the state house. Monday morning was rainy…perfect for the indoors part of the visit.

Model of the Battleship U.S.S. Iowa, Iowa Capitol, 

Des Moines (26 June 2017)

Dominating the hallway on the first floor is a scale model of the battleship Iowa. Over 18 feet long and weighing 1350 pounds, the model is on loan from the U.S. Navy and is a perfect quarter-inch = one-foot scale reproduction. The warship has been decommissioned and is currently a museum attraction in Los Angeles.

Rotunda, Iowa Capitol, Des Moines (26 June 2017)

This exquisite rotunda is elaborate and colorful. I imagine the War of the Rebellion was the most cataclysmic event in the short lifetime of the new state. Construction of the capitol began just six years after the war ended. Some design features preserve the memory of the conflict. At the center of the rotunda, in front of a blue sky and clouds, is a 13-star American flag flanked by the State Seal and the years 1861 and 1865. Never forget.

Iowa State Law Library, Des Moines (26 June 2017)

The capitol contains one of the largest law libraries in the country and one of the most beautiful. The five levels hold over 105,000 documents. From the tiled floor to the stained-glass ceiling, the features date to the 1880’s. The chandeliers and other light fixtures were originally gaslights.

Iowa State Law Library, Des Moines (26 June 2017)

At each end of the magnificent Law Library are spiral stairs that connect to four additional floors of material. While the tungsten lighting cast a warm glow on the original picture, I removed the color to further emphasize the lines and shapes of the composition.

Grand Staircase, Iowa Capitol, Des Moines (26 June 2017)

Many capitols have a Grand Staircase, a wide boulevard that not only gets you to the next floor, but directs your attention to some heroic artwork along the way. True to its pioneer spirit, the 14-by-40-foot mural shows a handsome white family purposefully treading across the prairie. They are guided by floating female spirits representing Civilization and Enlightenment.

Grand Staircase, Iowa Capitol, Des Moines (26 June 2017)

In 2013, we presented the interior of the Springfield, Illinois capitol…another Midwest gem that had been cleaned up shortly before my visit. Both projects were designed by the same architect, Alfred Piquenard. It is said that the scantily-clad statues he created for the bottom of the Springfield staircase were too risqué for the sensitive Illinois leadership. When the Iowa governor inspected the Springfield project, he returned with these fine additions for his own Grand Staircase.

Old Supreme Court Chamber, Iowa Capitol, Des Moines (26 June 2017)

Until a new Judicial Branch Building was completed in 2003, the State Supreme Court met in this chamber in the capitol. The fine space now serves as a committee meeting room for the House of Representatives.

Iowa Senate, Des Moines (26 June 2017)

The Senate has fifty members that serve four-year terms. The chamber has changed little since it was dedicated in 1884. The desks are original. The light fixtures and chandeliers are also converted original gaslights.

Iowa House of Representatives, Des Moines (26 June 2017)

Unlike the Senate chamber, the House has had many of its features replaced after the 1904 fire. One hundred representatives are elected to two-year terms. Legislative sessions begin in January and end less than four months later. Mid-year is a good time for state house visits because the sausage-making is done and the chambers are clean, quiet and empty. I believe that makes for a better documentation of the space.

As capitols go, I thought this one was stunning. Kudos to the Good People of Iowa for preserving the outstanding features of this masterpiece…and condolences for the awful management of your Caucus. May we please find a more diverse state and a better way to start our presidential campaign season. For the sake of our republic. Please.