State Capitols – Salt Lake City, Utah - Inside

West Atrium, Utah Capitol, Salt Lake City (20 June 2014)

Two grand staircases are illuminated by barrel-vaulted

skylights. As with so many western capitols, the

most prominent artwork depicts valiant pioneer

settlers crossing the plains to fulfill our Manifest Destiny.

I like this capitol for its clean, uncluttered look. Maybe it’s the straight, conservative sensibilities of the population or it’s the 20th century’s emergence from the fancy Victorian and Beaux Art styles that were all the fashion prior to that. It’s the ionic capitals on the smooth/round columns and not the flowery, complex Corinthian tops on fluted columns. Statuary is confined to significant alcoves under the rotunda and the fourth floor. That floor was used for offices before the renovation and is now an art gallery with rotating exhibits on Utah history and heritage.

The building sits on a hill that is a tad less than it was before they decided to put the capitol there. The site, called ‘Arsenal Hill,’ was a munitions depot where gunpowder was (rather poorly) stored. On April 5, 1876, two boys tending cattle were taking pot shots at passing birds when a burning paper wad from their gun ignited some loose powder. That eventually set off 45 tons of explosives. The blast killed the boys and hurled hundreds of tons of debris that damaged every building within a two-mile radius of the hill.

Rotunda, Utah Capitol, Salt Lake City (20 June 2014)

A 95-foot chain suspends the ‘Circle of Light,’ a 3-ton chandelier from the center of the dome. I did take a picture straight up for that collection of balanced circular designs, but I prefer to show the space with its artwork that (again) extolls the pioneer spirit so prominent in western civic spaces. The thin, shadowy figure across the way is one of Utah’s favorite sons. Philo Farnsworth was an inventor whose patents made modern television possible. This bronze statue is also one of Utah’s two figures in Statuary Hall in our Washington capitol. Brigham Young is the other.

Seismic Base Isolator,

Utah Capitol, Salt Lake City (20 June 2014)

Recent studies confirmed that the capitol was vulnerable to even moderate earthquake events. In 2004, the legislature created a board to oversee a seismic upgrade and widespread restoration of the building. The photo above shows one of the 265 seismic base isolators that were installed under the building.

This top-to-bottom (literally) renovation and restoration included adding new art work and returning the official and public spaces to the architect’s vision and original beauty. While the entire capitol originally cost $2.7 million to build, the four-year restoration and seismic fortification cost $227 million.

Utah House of Representatives (20 June 2014)

The Utah House has 75 members who are elected to two-year terms.

Science and Technology

Utah Capitol, Salt Lake City (20 June 2014)

The extensive renovation also included artwork for the space under the rotunda. Four classic allegorical sculptures depicting traditional themes were added by 2008. Each eleven-foot presentation has an adult mentor and a youthful student that portrays the ideas of ‘Immigration and Settlement’, ‘Land and Community’, ‘Arts and Education’ and my favorite, ‘Science and Technology.’ The sculpture shows how discovery leads to technical advances like the wheel and an aqueduct.

Utah Senate (20 June 2014)

The Senate has 29 members who are elected to four-year terms.

Utah Capitol, Salt Lake City (20 June 2014)

Like the Lone Star in Texas and the Palmetto

Palm in South Carolina, the bee hive is a

ubiquitous presence in the Utah capitol.

Not only was Salt Lake City the capitol of the territory, it was the center of the faith and the hub that supported radiating Mormon settlements throughout the west. Brigham Young was the leader of the church AND the Governor of the territory. It would be like the Archbishop of Canterbury also being the Prime Minister. The Mormon settlers sought to build a perfect society on earth so there was little distinction between religious and secular life. Although modern Utah is becoming more diverse, it remains the only state in the Union where a majority of the population belongs to one church.

Utah might have achieved statehood sooner were it not for the elected leaders and their theocratic impulses. The practice of plural marriage was something the rest of the nation had trouble accepting. Governor Brigham Young had 55 wives…that is not a mis-print. Once polygamy was outlawed nationally and Utah agreed to include a specific ban in its constitution, the state was admitted to the Union.

Statue of Brigham Young by Kraig Verner [1993]

Utah Capitol, Salt Lake City (20 June 2014)

Occupying a central location on the second floor of the capitol, Utah’s Founding Father strides forth and is a regular stop on tours. The typical American visitor will appreciate the fact that Hall of Fame NFL quarterback, Steve Young is a direct descendent.

Bronze statues have a way of showing where our attentions lie. Apparently, some tour guides encourage visitors to pull on his finger for luck. A bust of Abe Lincoln outside the Senate chamber has his nose shined by lobbyists for the same reason. I may have to do a post on abused bronze sculptures. We just can’t help but rub certain parts.