Robert F.
Yelp
I've been to many state capitols and although Colorado's is on the smaller side, it is one of the most elegant. The designer was Elijah Myers, probably the top civic architect of his time. He had previously designed the Texas and Michigan capitols plus many other civic buildings and definitely knew what he was doing. The Legislature provided a budget of $1 million and Myers' design came in at just under that amount. The building was too small from the day it opened in 1894, but it is a gem of civic construction.
A committee of major movers and shakers was appointed to supervise construction. The first thing they did was to fire the architect (fortunately he had prepared extremely detailed drawings and specifications). The next move was to upgrade the main construction material from sandstone to granite. The committee proceeded to go way over budget, but manhandled additional appropriations through the Legislature. The architect's fee was a percentage of the total cost, so getting rid of him was probably a cost-saving ploy. The final price was about $3 million.
The exterior of the dome is copper. There was general dissatisfaction with its appearance as it weathered, so the dome was covered with gold leaf in 1908. This has been redone several times due to weathering and hail damage.
Electricity was not considered reliable in 1894, but with tremendous foresight, all of the fixtures were wired for both gas and electric use. Thus, virtually all of the fixtures in the building have been preserved and are mostly original.
A series of huge restoration and systems upgrades have recently been completed after almost 20 years of effort. Major problems with fire safety have been corrected and the legislative chambers restored to their original condition. This is now the only capitol building with a LEED Gold certification.
This building is really extraordinary. Only about one third of the space is actually occupied by offices and the House, Senate, and Supreme Court chambers. The rest is mostly grand public spaces that are extremely well-defined including the foyers from the main entrances, the grand staircase, the atrium, and the dome.
The Supreme Court moved out many years ago and is now in a new judicial building across the street so its former chambers are used for the occasional ceremonial event or large committee meeting.
The building is open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The Visitor Information Desk (north side, first floor) is open from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Free guided tours run on the hour from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. They leave from the information desk and are limited to 30 people, first come, first served. The tours take about an hour and do include a visit to the dome which offers spectacular views of the city and the Rocky Mountains.
The stairs to the dome begin in Mr. Brown's Attic (Henry Brown donated the building site in 1868), an interesting space wedged between the skylights of the two legislative chambers. This is filled with a number of exhibits about the construction of the building and the State of Colorado. There are also numerous windows that provide a good look at the internal construction of the building. Visitors are welcome to take self-guided tours, including this space. You can see the entire building, walking around by yourself, except for access to the dome.
Please note, if you're visiting from out-of-town, that the building is not open on weekends. Elevators only go to the third floor. It's 99 steps from there to the dome. The formal entrance at the west exterior staircase is not open to the public. There's an accessible public entrance on the south side facing 14th Avenue, under the staircase, and another public entrance on the north side facing Colfax Avenue, up the stairs.
The annual legislative session is 120 days, from early January to early May. Visitors cannot access the main floor of the Senate and House chambers during this time, but there are large observation balconies in each chamber that provide a good view.
