Font ResizeHalfway through a tour of the Minnesota State Capitol, my 8-year-old leaned over and whispered, "I want to live here."
The Capitol can have that effect on people.
It was built to impress, and it still does.
When you roam the hallways forested with gilded marble columns and gape at artwork symbolizing the sweep of civilization, you feel part of something important just by being there.
As Minnesota celebrates the 150th anniversary of its statehood - it's sesquicentennial - it seemed appropriate to bring my boys to visit the statehouse. About 116,000 people tour the Capitol every year, but we had the place nearly to ourselves on a Sunday afternoon a few days after the session opened this month.
The tour started in the echoing rotunda, where we looked at our feet to see an eight-point brass star inlaid in the floor and surrounded by a larger star of red marble and frosted glass. It is a reference to Minnesota's motto, "L'Etoile du Nord" (Star of the North), which was chosen by Minnesota's first governor, Henry Sibley, just after the territory became a state in 1858. Then, we tipped our heads to stare up 142 feet to the top of the dome and a miniature-looking chandelier, which is actually 6 feet in diameter.
The next stop was at a bust of Cass Gilbert, the architect of the Minnesota State Capitol who went on to design the Woolworth Building in New York City and the U.S. Supreme Court building.
"He grew up in St. Paul, and chances are he played in
We learned our Capitol is actually the state's third. The first burned down, and the second was considered outdated a mere 10 years after being built. The current statehouse, completed in 1905, was designed to show off Minnesota's prosperity and prove once and for all that Minnesota was no longer an outpost in the wilderness.
Gilbert chose expensive materials - imported Italian and French marbles, real gold and rich furnishings. He hired big-name artists for the paintings and sculptures to demonstrate that Minnesota was just as cultured as the East Coast.
But he also caused some controversy. Gilbert's insistence on using Georgia marble for the exterior - he thought the gleaming white stone was the only acceptable artistic choice - raised the ire of Minnesota's Civil War veterans, who were upset because he picked a product not only from out of state but from a Southern state.
"History repeats itself," said our guide. "It's the same reason why I might not have bought a Japanese car when my father was alive - he was a World War II vet."
Gilbert got his white marble, but he used Minnesota stone elsewhere in the building: Gray granite from St. Cloud forms the foundation, pinkish Kasota limestone lines the walls of the rotunda, columns of granite from Rockville and Ortonville ring the rotunda on the second level, and bands of red pipestone from the southern Minnesota prairies surround the murals and dome.
The building is full of history. We saw the tattered flag that belonged to the First Minnesota Regiment that had held back Confederate troops at the Battle of Gettysburg during the Civil War. We walked past portraits of former governors and stood in the Governor's Reception Room, a lavishly wainscoted and gilded room that has impressed the state's official visitors for the past century.
We looked at the paintings, including one of the signing of the Treaty of Traverse des Sioux in 1851, which transferred ownership of 24 million acres of land in Minnesota and Iowa from the Dakota to the federal government. The treaty allowed European Americans to settle the land and forced the Dakota onto reservations. My son was more interested in the fact that the painter, Francis D. Millet, died in the sinking of the Titanic.
The 8-year-old loved these bits of trivia: Supreme Court Justice Alan Page played football for the Vikings! Imagine! Our state nickname, "The Gopher State," came from an 1858 political cartoon showing a bunch of railroad owners as gophers! Really!
The 5-year-old was more interested in the building. He trailed after our group, peering at a brochure that challenged him to find a dozen architectural elements. He discovered cursive letter "Ms" incorporated into the ornate grillwork, sheaves of golden wheat painted on the ceiling, eagles of stained glass and a golden Minnesota gopher perched in a metal railing on the second floor.
After the 45-minute tour, we explored on our own. We watched a man stenciling the third-floor ceiling, part of a larger restoration project to repair water-damaged plaster and restore the original artwork.
We ventured into the basement and peeked at the deserted Rathskeller, the German-themed beer hall that was restored in the 1990s. Though lawmakers can no longer order up a pint, anyone can grab breakfast, lunch or a cup of coffee on weekdays when the Legislature is in session. (If you know German, you can read original sayings on the wall, such as "Better tipsy than feverish.")
We plan to come back to the Capitol. In warmer weather, the tours step outside onto the roof to stand just behind the quadriga, the golden Roman chariot pulled by four horses.
So, although nobody can live in the Capitol (not even the governor, as my son supposed), everybody can visit.
Maja Beckstrom can be reached at mbeckstrom@pioneerpress.com or 651-228-5295.
CAPITOL IDEAS
-- Have your kid e-mail someone an e-card postcard of the State Capitol: collections.mnhs.org/Ecards
-- Minnesota State Legislature's Youth page includes links to a five-minute video tour of the Capitol, how a bill becomes law and more: www.leg.state.mn.us/youth/
-- List of state symbols and online symbol quiz: www.leg.state.mn.us/leg/Symbols.asp
SESQUICENTENNIAL SPECIAL EVENTS
Events linked to Minnesota's Sesquicentennial include: "Minnesota Women's History Tour: 150 Years of Herstory" featuring such costumed history players as Jane Grey Swisshelm and Clara Ueland. 7 p.m.-8:30 p.m. March 13. "Historic Statehood Day Celebration" with free family activities, music and buttons for the first 1,000 visitors. Noon to 4 p.m. May 11.
FAMILY OUTINGS: THE SCOOP
What: Tours of the Minnesota State Capitol
When: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, 1-4 p.m. Sunday. Guided tours, which last 34 minutes, leave on the hour; last tour leaves one hour before closing. Groups of 10 or more need reservations two weeks in advance. Other times available by reservation.
Where: 75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul
Cost: General tours free. Check fees for special tours and events.
Information: 651-296-2881 or www.mnhs.org
Target audience: Preschoolers and older
Crowd pleaser: In warm weather, tours step onto the roof to see the quadriga, the chariot pulled by four horses.
Avoid: Parking hassles. Nearby metered street parking available most weekends. On weekdays, check this map for nearby metered parking (not enforced on weekends): www.admin.state.mn.us/pmd/maps/capitol_complex
Tip: Ask for the "Art Treasures" scavenger hunt brochure ($2), which includes photographs and descriptions of 12 architectural details in the Capitol along with star stickers to stick in place when you find them.
