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| - This is my favorite state capitol, and I admit prejudice because Madison is the capital of my state even if the city itself is...unique. The capitol probably doesn't need another Yelp review, and really needs more photos of the dome like I need a toothache. Here goes, anyway, although I will focus on things that most visitors and reviewers seem to miss.
Inside the gorgeous rotunda, under the massive granite dome that already has 4,972 photos on Yelp, is a display of interest on the 100th anniversary of the capitol, which opened in 1917. By the way, it is the only granite dome on a state capitol in the United States. The rotunda is 76' in diameter and reaches 200' to the crown of the dome. There are four wings to the capitol, one each housing the Assembly, the Senate, the Supreme Court and the Executive Branch. Four arches open to the vaulted halls of each wing, the arches are supported on Corinthian entablatures with dark rose marble friezes, they are supported by columns of green marble imported from Greece, topped with gold capitals. Beautiful Wisconsin granite is used extensively in the rotunda. Above the four entablatures are mosaics by Kenyon Cox, each comprised of over 100,000 pieces of glass. The mosaics depict liberty and the three branches of government housed in the capitol, "Legislation," "Government" (executive) "Justice" and "Liberty," all represented by figures of the ancients.
On my visit, there were several interpretive displays in the rotunda, including a binder with copies of original (and highly detailed) blue prints of the building. One display was in honor of Old Abe, the War Eagle, with his biography and photos of him in action.
What? You never heard of Old Abe the War Eagle? Time and space do not permit the full story here, but in a nutshell, Old Abe was an eagle adopted as the mascot of the 8th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War. He was carried into all battles and skirmishes (some 42 of them) with the 8th. After the 8th mustered out, Old Abe lived out his days in the state capitol and also traveled the country in rock star status. Old Abe's likeness shows up everywhere, from the top of the Camp Randall arch to the Wisconsin Monument in Vicksburg, Mississippi. He was used as the logo for J.I. Case in Racine and is the official symbol of the US Army 101st Airborne "Screaming Eagles." Read his story here: https://www.army.mil/article/91178/
Out in front of the west entrance to the capitol is a bronze statue. "Forward" was sculpted by Jean Pond Miner for the Wisconsin pavilion of the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago and takes its title from the State of Wisconsin motto. Miner was from Menasha but grew up in Madison. She studied at the Art Institute of Chicago under the tutelage of Loredo Taft.
After the close of the exposition, "Forward" was moved to Madison where it went on display at the east entrance of the capitol. The capitol burned in 1904 but in 1916, "Forward" moved to the north entrance of the new capitol where it remained until 1995. 100 years of exposure to Wisconsin weather has taken its toll. Despite conservation efforts, it was decided the best place for the statue was indoors. (It's located in the Wisconsin Historical Society building, over on Bascom Hill.)
The replica was placed at the end of State Street in 1996. Don't confuse "Forward" with "Wisconsin," the gilded statue on the top of the capitol dome. "Wisconsin" is a different statue.
"Wisconsin" was sculpted by Daniel Chester French, the artist who sculpted Abraham Lincoln for the the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. "Wisconsin" depicts a woman extending her right hand, much as "Forward" does. She holds a globe in her left hand with an eagle perched on the globe. I cannot confirm it, but I suspect the eagle is Old Abe perched on the globe. Her helmet is adorned with a badger. The 15'5" tall statue stands at the peak of the capitol dome and faces Lake Monona.
Put a visit to the Wisconsin State Capitol on your list, after all, your tax dollars are paying for it. It's a beautiful building and you really have to see it because photos just don't do it justice. There are unique details (even the state seal is stamped into the door escutcheons) and there is beauty everywhere you look in the capitol. From "Wisconsin" on very top of the dome to the extensive use of Wisconsin granite to the four glass mosaics to the bas relief artwork inside and out, there is eye candy everywhere you look.
As for Madison being Looney Tunes? It's a college town, after all and even spawned "The Onion." Locals don't call it "Mad Town" for nothing! A former governor, the late Lee Sherman Dreyfus summed it up best: "Madison is 30 square miles surrounded by reality." Right in the center of it all is our beautiful capitol. Plan a visit soon - tours are available, or feel free to roam about on your own. It is a truly amazing structure!
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