Iowa — 5 Domes, 5 Cupolas, 5 Finials

Capitol Front (left) and
Dome Closeup (right) images courtesy of
Ashton B. Crew

Domes
The Iowa state capitol building's 80-foot, steel and brick central dome is completely gilded and has a green copper railing around its base. The four smaller, copper-clad domes at the building's four corners also include gilding on their cupola roofs, in sections on the vertical dome spines, and on the ornaments over each port.

Finials
On top of each of the five domes is an ornate finial, the central dome's being the largest with eight bellflowers, four of them on arched stems, and a horizontal ring supporting all eight blooms. The other four finials on the corner domes each have just the four bellflowers on arched stems.

All five of these golden ornaments sit on golden spheres and have vertical spikes on top.

Pediment Sculpture
The original Iowa sandstone sculptures on the exterior of this capitol dated back to 1879. Since they were deteriorating significantly by the middle of the 20th century, their major restoration was begun in 1984. All of the carvings were removed, transported to Indiana, and replaced with duplicates carved out of Indiana limestone. The project spanned nearly 20 years. The restoration of the pediment sculpture over the west entrance was completed in 1991.

Central
Dome
Finial

images courtesy of Carol VanHook
through Creative Commons

Central Dome Port

Michigan — Dome, Cupola, Finial

Dome
At the time this capitol was designed, the National Capitol had a new cast iron dome. This inspired designer Elijah Myers to include a cast iron dome on his first capitol, Michigan's.

Detailed sculpture can be found everywhere on this dome as is apparent in the image below of one of the ports and two of the ribs.

Finial
This spectacular, sculpted finial is unique to the Michigan state capitol building. About as tall as the main body of the cupola, it continues the tall, slender look of the building to its very top.

Pediment Sculpture
High over the capitol’s entrance porch is a relief pediment sculpture carved from Ohio sandstone. In the center is Michigan, a Native American holding out a book and a globe as symbols of faith in the state's progress and future. On the left, the shipping and commerce figure is surrounded by an anchor and an incomplete ship. The agriculture figure is on the right with a plow, a horn of plenty, and a sheaf of wheat. In the corners of the pediment are lumbering and mining tools.

image courtesy of
Brian Charles Watson
through Creative Commons

Decorative Sculptures
On the roof's edge and on every level of the dome are sculptures resembling urns or a fleur de lis. Each grouping is different, which adds interest to the overall ornate effect.

New Jersey — Dome, Cupola, Finial

Front Entrance
The New Jersey state capitol building looks unusual in many ways, including how the dome appears from the front. Most capitols with domes were designed to highlight that impressive feature, not hide it. This unusual building has had many additions, and in the process, the dome, at one time part of an addition itself, is now barely visible from the ground in front of the main entrance.

Finial
This fleur de lis style finial is unique among our state capitol domes. A simple sphere or flagstaff, or even a statue would be less of a surprise.

Dome
After a fire destroyed the 80-foot dome of this capitol in 1885, the current one was built in its place. This gilded dome is 145 feet, made of cast iron covered with copper, and weighs 205,640 pounds. The previous dome is shown in the lithograph at far right.

Restoration
The recent dome restoration project was completed in 1999. To help with the restoration, the school children of New Jersey raised the approximately $48,000 for the gold leaf needed for the regilding through the "Dimes for the Dome" program.

image courtesy of
Edward Crim photographer,
the State Capitols project

Side View
The New Jersey state capitol building dome is best viewed from the side of the building where its full height is visible from the ground.

image courtesy of
Donnie Shackleford

Connection
The reason the dome is most visible from the side of the building dates back to 1845. While enlarging the building, the architect included the dome and rotunda to connect the existing building with the new structure, leaving space between the two.