Michigan State Capitol

State capitol building of the U. S. state of Michigan

The Michigan State Capitol is the building that houses the legislative branch of the government of the U. S. state of Michigan. It is in the portion of the state capital of Lansing which lies in Ingham County. The present structure, at the intersection of Capitol and Michigan Avenues, is a National Historic Landmark that houses the chambers and offices of the Michigan Legislature as well as the ceremonial offices of the Governor of Michigan and Lieutenant Governor. Historically, this is the third building to house the Michigan government. The first state capitol was in Detroit, the original capital of Michigan, and was relocated to Lansing in 1847, due to the need to develop the state's western portion and for better defense from British troops stationed in Windsor, Ontario.

On July 13, 1787, the Second Continental Congress passed the Northwest Ordinance, creating the Northwest Territory which included Michigan. In 1805, the U. S. Congress created the Michigan Territory, with Detroit as its territorial capital. Michigan first applied for statehood as early as 1832, though it was rebuffed due to a dispute with Ohio over the Toledo Strip, a 468 square mile (1,210 km2) area that included the important port city of Toledo. By 1835, Michigan had formed a state government without receiving authorization from Congress to do so. The state's boundaries included the contested area. The dispute culminated in what has become known as the Toledo War, as Michigan and Ohio militia took up arms in the area. As a condition for entering the Union, Michigan was forced to accept the western three quarters of the Upper Peninsula in exchange for ceding its claim to the Toledo Strip. After a state convention first rejected this condition, a second convention, assembled under some duress in December 1836, reluctantly accepted the terms and Michigan became the 26th state on January 26, 1837, with Detroit as its first capital. The first building to serve as the State Capitol was built in 1832 as the Territorial Courthouse. The court house was on the corner of Griswold Street and State Street. This brick structure was one of Michigan's earliest Greek revival buildings, with a portico of Ionic columns and a central tower of 140 feet (43 m). Built at a cost of $24,500 ($ in ), the building housed the territorial government and state legislatures until 1848, when a hastily erected wood building was constructed in Lansing following a decision made March 17, 1847, to move the capital from Detroit to Lansing. The Detroit building then became a public school (the Union School, at one time the city's only high school) and library until it burned in 1893. provided that:
The seat of government for this state shall be at Detroit, or at such other place or places as may be prescribed by law until the year eighteen hundred and forty seven when it shall be permanently located by the legislature. The cornerstone was laid on October 2, 1873, with about 7,000 Lansing residents and some 30,000 to 50,000 visitors attending. including battle flags that were moved to the Michigan Historical Museum in 1990. Over the years the dome, which at first matched the light tan of the building, was repainted a bright white. The legislature funded an extensive historical restoration starting in 1989 which was completed in 1992.

The Michigan State Capitol is 267 feet (81 m) from the ground to the tip of finial/spire above the dome. The building is 128.02 m long and 83.21 m wide (including approaches). The capitol occupies , has a perimeter of
When it opened, the Capitol structure was large enough to host all the state agencies and departments. Due to the growth of state government, only the offices of Senate and House leadership and ceremonial offices for the governor and lieutenant governor remain in the capitol. The ground floor corridors led to "store rooms" designed by the architect in the original building plans. This includes an armory in the southwest corner of the south corridor. The original wood floor has been replaced by gray tiles. The rooms were originally lit with gas fixtures, though by 1900, the building had been refitted with electric lights. Today, the ground floor is home to several offices, including the Secretary of the Senate, the Clerk of the House, and the Capitol Tours and Information Service. Starting with the first floor and continuing to the third, black and white floor tiling is made of Vermont marble and limestone. The exception is the floor of the rotunda which is composed of 976 blocks of translucent glass, supported by iron beams and columns. It is a vault light, admitting light to the floor below. Public access to Michigan's legislative bodies is through the third floor. The capitol building holds the chambers and offices of the bicameral state legislature, which is composed of the Michigan House of Representatives and Michigan Senate. Public galleries are at both ends of the third floor. The Senate, with 38 members, has its chambers on the south side of the building, while the House of Representatives, with 110 members, has its chambers in the north wing. House sessions are normally held on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 1:30 PM and Thursdays at 12:00 noon, while Senate sessions begin at 10:00 AM on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Both houses occasionally convene on Mondays and Fridays. Senate and House sessions are taped by Michigan Government Television, a public service body transmitted to local cable television systems' government access television channels. Similar to C SPAN, MGTV has made live coverage of the legislative proceedings available since July 15, 1996. Although having the same floor plan, the House and Senate chambers are decorated very differently, with the former in terra cotta and teal colors and the latter in blue and gold. An oval cartouche in the carpet at the entrance to the House chamber features the state flower, the apple blossom. Presiding over the house is the speaker, whose chair is behind a desk in the center with a plaster and paint version of the state coat of arms. The Senate chamber is somewhat smaller than the House. The president of the Senate is the lieutenant governor, who presides over sessions from a walnut rostrum at the front of the chamber. Both the House and the Senate use computerized voting systems, including wall mounted screens that allow visitors to follow the voting and both also contain glass tiled ceilings that allow natural light to shine through etched glass panels to better light the room. These ceiling tiles feature the coats of arms of each state in the United States.

The Capitol Pediment, located above the main front entrance to the building, is entitled "The Rise and Progress of Michigan". It depicts a central figure, Michigan, who is dressed as a Native American. She offers a book and globe to the people of her state, promising a bright future. She is surrounded by symbols of Michigan's economy, including a plow, cornucopia, and a laurel wreath to represent agriculture. Also included are symbols representing shipping, mining, and lumbering. The most recently dedicated tree is a blue spruce called "the Freedom Tree," planted in 1973 as a memorial to the Vietnam War's missing in action and prisoners of war.