Colorado State Capitol
Colorado State Capitol
The Colorado State Capitol building is a remarkable sight. Its brilliant golden dome is one of the most memorable features of the Denver skyline. The resemblance between the state capitol and our nation's is no accident - indeed, the state capitol building in Denver was designed to look very much like the one in Washington, DC. Even the street names are similar - Lincoln and Pennsylvania Avenues, for example.
The Colorado State Capitol was constructed over a five-year period in the late 1890s. The gold leaf was added to the dome in the early 1900s, to commemorate Colorado's early goldrush days. All of the stone used in constructing the building is from local Colorado quarries. One such stone, a rose onyx found only in this area, was so rare that the entire known quantity of it was used in the making of the State Capitol of Colorado!
The grounds around the Colorado State Capitol are home to numerous memorials. One especially moving place is the Civil War Memorial. There is a plaque here commemorating the fact that, on the average, Colorado provided more volunteers during that horrible conflict than any other state. Another monument on the capitol grounds features the ever-controversial Ten Commandments. It is a momument to tenacity as much as anything, considering how other, similar religious constructions have been removed from state capitols in recent years.
As far as state capitols go, the one in Denver, Colorado is a doozy. Situated on a hill - quaintly dubbed by locals 'Capitol Hill', it is a serene and lovely home to the many goings-on of government life. At least during daylight hours.. this State Capitol is considered by many to be one of the most haunted state capitols in the country.
