Then and Now: April 2012 | STATE LEGISLATURES MAGAZINE

This Month's Statehouse Photo

This month's photo is of the Utah State Capitol, which houses both chambers of the Legislature and is situated on Capitol Hill, overlooking downtown Salt Lake City. The neoclassical revival, Corinthian style building was designed by Richard K. A. Kletting, and built between 1912 and 1916. The Capitol underwent a major renovation starting in 2004, a project that added two new buildings to the complex and restored many of the public spaces to their original appearance. A variety of buildings were used to house state government once Salta Lake City was designated as the capital in 1856.

Construction employed granite from nearby Little Cottonwood Canyon and the dome is covered with Utah copper. The building, which includes 52 Corinthian columns, has numerous beehive accents, recalling Utah's state symbol that represents industry and cooperation. The interior ceiling of the dome includes a mural by artist William Slater showing seagulls flying among clouds. The dome also has a cyclorama with eight scenes from Utah's history, including the driving of the Golden Spike, which was painted as a Works Progress Administration project in the 1930s. The building is set on over 40 acres and from the south steps, visitors have a spectacular view of the Wasatch and Oquirrh Mountains, and Salt Lake City.

Sources: utah.com, wikipedia.com 

25 Years Ago

Articles from the April 1987 issue of State Legislatures:

LEARNING JAPANESE STYLE
“Japan’s students score higher on tests, but American students get a better college education. Officials are studying each other’s systems to find out why.”

NEW FEDERAL LAW EXPANDS MEDICAID COVERAGE
“The new law will allow states to extend Medicaid coverage to some of the currently ineligible poor.”

TAXING THE POOR
“One of the aims of federal tax reform was to lower taxes on the poor. Should states pursue the same goal?”

Did You Know?

The walls of the main vestibule of the Mississippi Capitol are covered with marble—Black Belgian and blue Vermont. The rotunda contains Italian white marble and jet black marble from New York. There are 11 kinds of marble in Mississippi’s Capitol, dubbed the “million dollar Capitol.” Taxpayers didn’t even have to pay for its construction—The Illinois Central Railroad did. It owed Mississippi back taxes that, along with the legal settlement, came to more than a million dollars.

—From “A Celebration of State Capitols,” by Richard R. Gibson