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Illinois State Capitol

Architect
Cochrane and Garnsey
Year
1868
Style
Renaissance Revival
City
Springfield, IL
Illinois State Capitol
Photo: w_lemay, CC BY-SA 2.0
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The Illinois State Capitol houses the legislative and executive branches of Illinois state government and has served as the seat of the legislature since 1876. It is the sixth building to serve as the state's capitol since Illinois was admitted to the Union in 1818. Designed by the Chicago firm Cochrane and Garnsey in French Renaissance and Italianate styles, it broke ground on March 11, 1868, and took twenty years to complete, at a total cost of $4.5 million.

the building

A cross-shaped footprint. The Capitol's footprint is cross-shaped with four equal wings, rising to a tall central rotunda topped by an upper dome and tower — a plan that organizes the two legislative chambers, the governor's ceremonial office, and additional executive and legislative offices around a shared civic core.

Twenty years to build. Ground was broken on March 11, 1868, but the building was not completed until twenty years later, at a total cost of $4.5 million — a long construction timeline for what became the sixth Illinois capitol since statehood in 1818.

the style

Built in the architectural styles of the French Renaissance and Italianate, blending Renaissance Revival massing with Italianate detailing across its cross-shaped, domed form.

More on Renaissance Revival

the architect

Cochrane and Garnsey, an architectural and design firm based in Chicago, designed the building — their commission situates the Capitol within the broader wave of Chicago-based firms shaping Illinois civic architecture in the late 19th century.

significance

The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and remains the seat of the General Assembly of Illinois, housing both the House of Representatives and the Senate along with the governor's ceremonial office.

nearby

All 26 buildings in Springfield