{"nrhp_refnum":"85003178","name":"Illinois State Capitol","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Capitol Ave. and Second St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Springfield","county":"Sangamon County","state":"IL","lat":39.79850916850006,"lon":-89.65456653265021,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1985-11-21","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A cross-shaped, domed state capitol building at Capitol Avenue and Second Street in Springfield, Sangamon County, Illinois, built 1868-1888 to designs by Alfred H. Piquenard and associates, with seven statues on the grounds counted as contributing objects.","why_significant":"The nomination cites architecture and politics/government. The building is an eclectic, monumental, ornate Gilded Age capitol that retains its exterior and public interiors nearly as completed in 1888. Its long construction was shaped by contests over the capital's location, cost limits in the 1870 Constitution, and repeated voter rejections of completion funds.","narrative":"Rising 361 feet, the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield is a cross-shaped building with a central dome and three uniform stories on each wing. Built between 1868 and 1888 from designs by Alfred H. Piquenard and associates, it combines baroque and classical elements in the ornate, monumental manner favored after the Civil War. The first story is rusticated Niagara limestone, and the east entrance has a portico of ten Corinthian columns. Inside are marble floors, scagliola wainscoting, a grand marble stairway, richly decorated House and Senate chambers, and murals and statues of Illinois figures. Seven statues stand on the grounds. The nomination argues for significance in architecture and politics and government. Construction was marked by rivalry among cities over the capital's location, a constitutional cap on spending, and several voter rejections of funds before completion was approved. Despite renovations, the exterior and public interiors remain very close to their 1888 appearance, and the building still serves as the seat of state government.","period_of_significance":"1868-present","architect_builder":"Alfred H. Piquenard, George Otis Garnsey, and John Crombie Cochrane","architectural_style":"Synthesis of eighteenth century baroque and nineteenth century classical (eclectic Gilded Age style), with French Renaissance interior motif","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed as occupied, in excellent condition, on its original site; it remains the seat of state government, with exterior and public interiors largely as in 1888.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.51732-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/62/8940/28894062/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/85003178.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85003178/4b428e00cf-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85003178/4b428e00cf-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 2.0","author":"w_lemay","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Illinois_State_Capitol,_Capitol_Avenue_and_2nd_Street,_Springfield,_IL_-_53319245695.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">w_lemay</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Illinois_State_Capitol,_Capitol_Avenue_and_2nd_Street,_Springfield,_IL_-_53319245695.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28894062","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illinois_State_Capitol","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1658839"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/sangamon-county/illinois-state-capitol-85003178/"}