The Illinois State Capitol, in Springfield, houses the legislative & executive branches of government. Becoming the seat of the legislature in 1876, this building is the 6th to serve as the capitol since Illinois was admitted to the U.S. in 1818. Built in the architectural styles of the French Renaissance & Italianate, it was designed by Cochrane and Garnsey, a Chicago architectural firm. Ground was broken for the new capitol structure in 1868, the building was completed 20 yrs later costing $4.5 million. It's 361 feet, the tallest non-skyscraper capitol structure in the US, even exceeding the height of the United States Capitol with its dome in Washington, D.C. The dome itself of the State Capitol in Springfield is 92.5 ft wide, & is supported by underground solid bedrock, 25.5 ft below the surface. The silver dome is majestic, Lincoln stands at the entrance & inside. We went through metal detectors & explored the capital. Inside all of the shades of marble are magnificent. The archways are finished with gold leaf. There were a lot of workmen cleaning and polishing but we didn't see any government workers read more

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Continuing my quest to visit all fifty state capitols, Springfield is the 45th in the list https://www.yelp.com/collection/ucwQvyGY8sZEDHaN49HU5Q with Missouri next week and then only Oregon, Washington, Alaska and Hawaii will remain. The Illinois State Capitol follows similar design to many other state capitols, with wings with a central dome and rotunda in the French Renaissance / Italianate style. Construction started in 1868 and completed in 1888. It has four wings in a cross shape and interesting the dome is covered in zinc so that it does not weather or corrode like copper or other materials. It is the tallest domed capitol in the United States, even larger than the federal capitol in Washington DC. This building is the SIXTH in the series of state capitols and is the third city to house the capitol of Illinois following Kaskaskia and Vandalia as earlier locations. The capitol was in another building here in in Springfield from 1837 until 1868. Beautiful from all angles and available for tours (with security), there is a lot to see inside including a beautiful rotunda, lots of statues and friezes and more. Well worth the time to check it out. [Review 19691 overall - 145 in Illinois - 663 of 2023.] read more

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Born and raised in Chicago I thought I'd seen it all. Then a work trip took me to the state capitol. And boy what a treat. To see where our 16th president lived and served A slice of history served up in pictures and the library If you've never experienced Springfield and it's rich history you must go there. Lincoln's house and the original capitol still stands along with the largest living mansion also knows as the governor's mansion. Go there and enjoy read more

Review Visit: July 31st, 2012 It's the capitol of the capital! I was just a kid going through grade school when we had a field trip announcement. This was yet another trip to Springfield but one that would prove to be magical. Magical in the sense that it got us out of school for a day... and to most kids, that's pure magic. So, we loaded up the bus and headed to see the capital again. This time was a bit different. In the main photo above, you can see that each class was able to take a photo with Keith P. Sommer. One of the state's representatives. Ask any kid anything about government and you'll probably get a blank stare or hear about George Washington. So, I remember thinking it was cool to meet him but had no idea what he did in for us in the government. (Those lessons were in Junior high and ones I excelled in, oddly enough.) Well, little did I know that if we fast forward a few years, I would be back in the same building that the little me was in and the same representative would still be working there. Yep, Keith P. Sommer is still getting elected and working on doing whatever state representatives do. Matt and I got to walk around the same halls that little me walked around. I don't think you, as a general visitor, could explore too much. Just the main area and maybe some of the side hallways. Most of the people inside were actual workers and we were just tourists getting a sneak peek in the world of government and politics. I did have a few nostalgic trips while looking around. These government buildings are mostly kept the same from year to year with mostly renovating work done to keep things looking the same instead of changing it up. In one of my boxes in my closet, I still have the letter that Keith P. Sommer sent to everyone in our class. I don't remember what it said but if I dig it out, I will add it to the slideshow below. If you are a history or government buff, feel free to check out the State Capitol building. If not, you can probably pass on this place and know you aren't missing anything too special. It was just a fun nostalgic trip for me. read more

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The Illinois State Capitol is the tallest domed capitol and also one of the most beautiful. It just doesn't have the sheer size of some of the other top capitol buildings. When I arrived at the capitol and stopped at the visitor's desk, I was surprised to find out that someone would be called over shortly to give me a personal tour. Usually tours are done at a pre set time, and there are some capitols that will not even do a tour for one person. I was very happy to get my personal tour of this historic and beautiful capitol, and learn about the history of the building. Some of the building was inaccessible due to some restoration work going on. After my tour I was able to explore on my own and snap plenty of pictures. I was particularly impressed by the mural on the staircase, although there are nice murals and statues throughout the building. And I was in awe as I looked up into the dome from the rotunda. When you look up into it then it's clear how much taller it is than other capitols. It you like visiting historic capitol buildings do not miss the one in Illinois. read more

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No visit to Springfield is complete without a visit to the Capitol building. It is the center of Illinois government. The building is topped with a 405-foot dome and is a combination of Renassance Revival and Second Empire Style. You can watch Illinois politics in action from balcony-level seating when the legislature is in session. read more

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On our trip to see President Lincoln sites we visited the Illinois State Capital building. It was absolutely beautiful! We took the ~25 minute tour where we learned it is the tallest capitol in the US. It was not only an impressive building but we learned women had the right to vote 3 years before the US allowed women to vote. And that they had a black state legislator in the 1920s. Progressive history that gave us hope for America. read more

Illinois State Capitol - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Springfield, Illinois

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A Great State to live in or visit, centrally located between so many other States around the Great Lakes. Of course you can't come to Illinois without visiting Chicago, home of the Chicago Marathon and soooo many amazing places to eat and hang out. Don't forget to pronounce it correctly, ending in "NOY" and leaving out the "s" read more

I have mixed reviews on the things we saw in Springfield but this wasn't one of them. We made a b-line to the Capitol building when we spotted it from 6th street. Can't say I've seen a building this large with a silver (not gold) dome. That aspect alone could have made the building unique. It got better on the inside though, a trip we only made because my son insisted. After walking down a hallway you come to the middle of the building which offers an awe-inspiring look upwards at the beautiful dome interior, murals, statues and other forms of art. The third floor offers the best look at the interior, especially the dome interior. If you're in Springfield do yourself a favor and make this a priority. Aside from Abe's Tomb we didn't find anything else in town quite as interesting as the Capitol building. read more

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The Illinois State Capitol is one of the best free museums in the State of Illinois. My bone to pick is with self-proclaimed state capitol afficionado, Dave S. of Milwaukee, who a year ago wrote Yelp's first review, while overfocusing on the no longer (if ever) visible black gunk in the Rotunda, which he claimed obscured the stained glass. Well, you can see the stained glass just fine. Dave S. said the Capitol was "pedestrian," "underwhelming," "needs some love" and dissed it, without any mention of how gorgeous the Rotunda is, as are many other features of the statehouse, ranging from extensive paintings, murals, statuary, exquisite railings, columns, frescos, etc. The restoration levels of every historic piece of art or sculpture I saw is high! You can spend a few days here. Easy. I've done it, and haven't yet covered a fraction of this stunning structure and its contents. Amtrak will get you here for $36 roundtrip for the day, and you can walk to the Capitol from the train station. For perspective, parking and admission fees at the Art Institute of Chicago are about that much. See the pix I've posted: http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/p7OiovKfuYl8IepZ-39RRA?select=5w2JhLm1QV9rq0zhS0uHHg read more

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Awesome architecture. See where the govna signs things, the Senate, and a quick 20 min tour. Was cool! read more

State Capitol was stop 2 on our nerdy politics/law tour of Springfield. What did you want to see? Where Blago was impeached. Maybe we looked out of place or just had the "city walk" but the visitor's employee was quick to greet us. We didn't want to wait for a tour so we picked up a brochure and did our own. First and foremost, the rotunda is gorgeous and preserved really well. I could spend most of my time admiring this versus the plentiful statutes and murals. The Senate and House galleries are a sight to see - the chandeliers in the house gallery was spectacular (and weigh 750 pounds)! One thing I noted generally was how clean and well-preserved everything was down in Springfield. It was also very accessible and most of the sites are free and/or donation based. read more

Illinois State Capitol - Senate Gallery view - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Springfield, Illinois

Interesting, filled with history, and breathtakingly beautiful. From golden ceilings to a remarkably stained glass rotunda, the second largest in the country, this building has it all. View the workplaces of the house and the senate, along with the state room, of Illinois. I could visit a million times and still be absolutely mesmerized. I loved it! read more

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We had toured Wisconsin's capitol several months earlier, and felt like we needed to tour Illinois capitol since that is where we've lived all our lives. Wisconsin's was way more impressive and fun. Had to go thru a metal detector here in Illinois, maybe since alot of our politicians are corrupt they feel more vulnerable to civilian attack? It was a decent tour, our guide had alot of fun facts. Glad that Blago did NOT have his portrait on the wall, but our other govs that have lived in prison cells were still up there. Why? Building is not big but is very tall. No other buildings in Springfield can be taller, per current law. We learned that in the senate and house, the keep the Republicans and Democrats separated!! Why, would they duke it out?! Politicians? Learned another fun fact. Richard J Daley was initially a Republican, but could not get realected so he switched to Democrat! And I live close to Chi town. Never heard that factoid B4. Learn something new every day if you keep your ears open... read more

I came on the Sunday before the eclipse for a free tour at 1pm, there was quite a large crowd due to the gathering people for the astronomical event. I knew the capitol building was supposed to be nice and recently touched up but it was quite amazing! Stunning artwork and well lit dome, the tallest capitol in the US, even taller than DC! There are layers of history under the modern touch-ups and the details all around are generous and eye-catching. If only the inner workings of the government could match the beauty of the building. read more

Absolutely spectacular example of American architecture and engineering. Completely decorated in spectacular granite and marble. Delicate light fixtures, imposing stairways, spectacular dome interior. Beautiful doorways, flooring, even the garbage containers are amazing! Don't miss the historical/regional landscape paintings in the archways on the right-hand side as you come in, right over the security check-in. Try to make it over when there's a session, so you can sneak a peek of our lawmakers at work. read more

This review is for the building, and not the politics that (sometimes) happen within the building. If I rated the politics too, the stars would be...fewer. The building is beautiful, inside and out. By gazing on it from any angle, you would never guess Illinois is $163B in debt. It's free to enter, and there's little-to-no hassle getting through security. But, you're totally on your own when you get inside. There's no organized tour to take you through (unless you've come as part of some group) to explain what you're looking at, and where you can and cannot go. If you're a fan of the self-guided, go-till-someone-stops-me style of site-seeing, you should be pleased. If you're in Springfield, and you've already done the Lincoln stuff and had a horseshoe, I would say do a walkthrough of the Capitol. read more

Another beautiful State Capitol building in Springfield, Illinois! This one was probably a small step above Missouri's capitol. It was remodeled a few years ago to better resemble the mid to late 1800s when it was built. Very ornately decorated, very shiny, and overall very good use of space! While there were statues of Lincoln and Douglas all over the place, they made room for other people and every view point held something spectacular to see. You could go all the way up to the top and see so much. This is also the tallest Capitol dome in the country. Over 74 ft taller than the US Capitol Dome. The outside was also very nice! read more

Came here to lobby our representative and was quite impressed with our Capitol. It's too bad the rest of Springfield sucks. But seriously. I found the process of trying to get your representative's attention to come out and talk to you refreshingly easy (even though our rep didn't come out! Grrrr!). The pages & security who worked there were nice enough and also set up the right ground rules - keeping an aisle clear for people to get in and out. I thought the Capitol was beautiful, just beautiful. It was great to see. If you're considering a trip to Springfield, definitely take a stop and check out the grounds. Also, I did chuckle with the Lincoln statue and the fact that the Douglas station was just a few hundred yards behind Lincoln. read more

We just popped in here to appreciate the architecture, although we did see a few people on a guided tour that would have been informative. This building's interior is absolutely stunning. Pictures cannot do it justice because all the details and broader perspective can't be captured by the camera lens. If nothing else, take a picture of the inside of the dome with all its stained glass, reminiscent of the Oculus of the Pantheon in Rome. read more

Illinois State Capitol - inside dome - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Springfield, Illinois

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As state capitols go, from what I've seen, it's okay. Free Tour = 10 Stained Glass = 6 The Govenor Portraits sans Blago and asking the guide how many of the former govs are in prison = Priceless She was an obvious Democrate but trained not to comment on OUR right wing comments. Coolest thing? The Illinois Supreme Court chambers. I mean, on your husband's 8th grade tour of Springfield 36 years late, this is a NOT TO BE MISSED stop. read more

I LOVED the IL state capitol, it was definitely one of my favourites! There's lots to look at, both inside and outside the building, lots of interesting statues, exhibitions, information - we spent a while here and took tonnes of pictures. Springfield, IL is filled with rich, deep culture and is well worth the visit! read more

My wife and I met each other as tour guides at the Wisonsin State Capitol when we were both students in Madison. So we decided to try to visit all 50 state capitols. 13 down, quite a few capitols left to go. The first stop outside of Wisconsin on our Capitol odyssey was our neighbor to the south, Illinois. We visited the Illinois State Capitol in 2001. I really want to love every capitol I go to. I really do. But I just don't. Some capitols are nicer than others. Now that I've seen a fair number of Capitols, I can tell some are more "loved" than others. Let's just say that the Illinois State Capitol doesn't exactly put the "spring in Springfield." It's pretty clear when visiting the Illinois State Capitol that the seat of real power in the State is not Springfield but Chicago. This capitol needs some love. When visiting a Capitol the first thing most people do when they walk in is stand in the middle of the rotunda and look up into the inner dome. Here the view is underwhelming. You can tell that under the layer of black gunk at the very top of the inner dome lies some pretty impressive stained glass. But you can't see it under the decades and decades of grime built up over it. Leglislative chambers are fairly pedestrian. I've always been slightly irritated by those legislative chambers that are too nice. Like the State has nothing better to spend its money on that Assembly and Senate "bling." But here in Springfield that's not a problem. Though we didn't know it at the time, we were in the very chamber where then-State Senator Barack Obama held court. He's definitely moved up in the world from these chambers. The siting of the Capitol itself is horrenous. There are no trees, no park, no grand colonade. Just a few barren lawns and acres and acres of parking lots surrounding the Capitol for several blocks. One area where the Illinois capitol really shines is statuary. There are at least three full statues of Lincoln in the capitol, including one standing right in the middle of the rotunda. There are so many statues everywhere it's almost creepy. Statues of famous Illinois politicians. Perhaps one day there will be a statue of Obama in the rotunda. We'll see. read more

They tend to forget they are public service workers and are not the nicest people to work with. Very inconsiderate and impolite. I always dread coming to this place for work related business. read more

Beautiful capital building. Free tours every half hour throughout the week (unavailable from 12-1pm: lunchtime).

Tours every half hour, but the tours are short, only of the senate and the house... there is apparently a stop in the old supreme court room, but if the senate has a meeting there at the time they cannot bring you in. All in all it was a nice little tour, but because it's so quick... I cannot give it 5 stars. read more

I absolutely recommend going on the "free" tour of the Illinois State Capitol. It is beautiful inside and our tour guide was such a nice person and so informative. The art work, statues, paintings inside the Capitol are gorgeous. A must see in Springfield. read more

The building was SO beautiful. The moldings and architectural details are breathtaking! The only negative was that the only PUBLIC restroom was on the first floor. Overall I loved it read more

The view of the building from blocks away drew us in. We weren't sure if we were allowed inside at all, but the guards at the door welcomed us in with smiles and told us we were free to roam the place at will. There is a visitors desk that provides all sorts of information and offers guided tours of the building - but we had our young kids with us and didn't think they'd enjoy that aspect so we explored the place unguided. This building is incredible! The whole place is built in marble and rich wood. Fantastic stair cases and life sized statues of notable politicians. The mosaic dome and the artwork on the walls.....it's so amazing and soo over the top in quality materials it's stunning. The second floor housed the governor's office and the staff again waived us right in and gave the kids lanyards. We were free to take pictures and look around. On the third floor there are the House and the Senate....rooms(?) I'm sure there's a better name for them. Oh, and apparently Legally Blond filmed there for a few days at some point. We found our way down to the basement of the building and it was like a massive underground tunnel dug out with signs pointing to other arching tunnels and buildings. Clearly their are several buildings linked up somehow, but we never figured it out. All in all the place is just gorgeous. What a cool place to see. It's free, it's air conditioned, and they seriously just let you go where you want! It was almost uncomfortable that they didn't seem to care at all who you were or what you were doing there. I highly recommend it! read more

This is a great place to bring kids to see how state government works. The tour guides are knowledgeable and audible and the representatives can usually find a minute to talk to students from their district if this is set up well in advance. It's also interesting to try to find a lobbying group that can talk with the kids as well, such as the Illinois Environmental Council. read more

Stunning architecture. Must visit. Knocked off one star because of the smugness of the tour guide. We were only a group of 2 people and he was so disinterested in giving the tour. He was acting as if he had better things to do. So much for a tour guide. read more

Who needs to go to Washington D.C. to see the capitol when Illinois has this gem? The Illinois state Capitol building is incredible. It's been beautifully restored. Tours are available from the Secretary of State's office on the first floor. The dome is really a sight to see. The House is closest to the one in Washington D.C. The reliefs and paintings are a respectful nod to Illinois history. read more

I was not sure if my kids would enjoy this tour or not, but they did. We opted for the free tour. The guide walked fast, but answered all of our questions and was knowledgeable about the building. Unfortunately, all the great IL politicians were absent instead of doing their jobs and working on the current budget crisis. It is a beautiful building and worth a stop in. Maybe during your trip the worthless politicians will actually be working and earning the salary we pay them. read more

The tour literally offers a bird's-eye view of history, art and architecture, plus an inside look at current government operations. The materials and craftsmanship invested in this building over the years are simply stunning. Our tour guide, Molly, did a great job -- fascinating, fun and informative. read more

Beautiful, clean and impressive. The tour lasted 30 minutes and included tour of the Illinois Supreme Court, Senate and House of Representatives as well as several life size statues of interesting past mayors, politicians, etc. Several members of our group became stuck on the elevator for 40 minutes during a hot summer day (July 14th), and staff, while very concerned, called the maintenance man who stated up front that it was going to take him 25 minutes before arrival. No call was made to 911 and there were small children on the elevator. One of them, an asthmatic, suffered an asthma attack and several were unable to complete the tour due to fear and having to spend such a long time waiting for help. Tour was on a Sunday and there are no maintenance personnel on hand to care for an immediate emergency...inexcusable. Our seniors were unable to tour due to the entrance stairs and long walk way. Would have rated 5 stars but for the elevator incident. read more