The North Dakota State Capitol is the house of government of the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...
of
North Dakota
North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...
. The capitol, a 21-story
Art Deco
Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...
tower, is located in
Bismarck at 600 East Boulevard Avenue, and is the tallest habitable building in the state. On a campus that also houses many other government buildings, the capitol building and the surrounding office buildings house the state's
legislative
A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government.
Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known as p ...
and
judicial
The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudication, adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and app ...
branches, as well as many government agencies.
The State Capitol is largely surrounded by state government buildings. The
parks
A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...
,
walking trails
A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or small road usually passing through a natural area. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, a path or footpath is the preferred term for a pedestrian or hiking trail. T ...
, and monuments on the grounds provide a great deal of information about the state's history, making it one of the city's
tourist attractions
A tourist attraction is a place of interest that Tourism, tourists visit, typically for its inherent or an exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement.
Types
Places of ...
. Six buildings occupy the grounds; constructed as the government grew. Not all state agencies are housed on the grounds, however: a large number are spread throughout the city in other facilities. The state facility management division developed plans for a massive expansion and improvement of the grounds in 2000, but very little of the plan had been implemented by 2012.
History
![Firstcapitolnd](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a1/Firstcapitolnd.jpg)
The first capitol building was constructed between 1883 and 1884 to house the territorial government, and after statehood, two additions were erected: the Senate wing (1894, south side), and the House wing (ca. 1903, north side). On the morning of December 28, 1930, smoke was spotted coming from the northeast part of the original building, and despite the fire department being summoned within minutes of the fire being noticed, it was already too late to save the structure. Even as the fire raged through the upper portions of the building, efforts were made by citizens and state employees to rescue what was possible before everyone was ordered out of the building mid-morning. It was later determined to likely have originated in a pile of oily rags in a janitor's closet on the top floor of the main part of the building, as work had been underway to clean and varnish the legislators' desks in preparation for the upcoming legislative session.
North Dakota Secretary of State
The North Dakota Secretary of State is an elected office in the U.S. state of North Dakota. The incumbent was Alvin A. Jaeger. Duties of the Secretary of State include being the custodian of the state's Great Seal and other official state docume ...
Robert Byrne saved the original copy of the state's constitution, but suffered cuts and burns on his hands while breaking a window to reach the document. Another state employee, Jennie Ulsrud, burned her hands when she attempted to save records in the
state treasurer
In the state governments of the United States, 48 of the 50 states have the executive position of treasurer. New York abolished the position in 1926; duties were transferred to New York State Comptroller. Texas abolished the position of Texas ...
's office. Governor
George F. Shafer came back from his visit to
St. Paul, Minnesota while the fire was still burning. Upon arrival, he immediately assembled a team of state legislators and officials to discuss plans for coping with the loss of records and work space. As soon as it was safe to enter the interior of the still smoldering building, 40 state prison inmates were used to salvage the various departments' vaults and other items from the ruins (some vaults were burned, but most were found to be intact when opened). The Legislature met temporarily in Bismarck's War Memorial Building and the City Auditorium, an annex being constructed to link the two. State offices were spread out across all available space across town, including an entire floor of the Patterson Hotel downtown. Such was the need for space that the unburned lower floors of the original capitol's 1903 wing were even repaired and returned to use.
The disaster required the construction of a new building during the
Great Depression
The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
. The tower and wing were built between 1931 and 1934, at a cost of $2 million. Governor George F. Shafer broke ground for the building on August 13, 1932. Workers on the building were paid only 30 cents an hour and, after multiple worker strikes, the capitol grounds were administered by
martial law
Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory.
Use
Marti ...
in June 1933. The state sold half of the original capitol campus to defray the cost of construction.
Artist
Edgar Miller was brought in to do much of the interior design and decoration as well as the bas-relief sculptures on the facade which depict the human history of North Dakota.
The new 19-story capitol was expected to provide ample space for years to come, however it quickly filled as the state government expanded. The Liberty Memorial Building, completed in 1924, was able to house some of the additional workers, but more space was needed by 1955 when construction began for the State Office Building. The building originally housed the Bismarck Junior College, but the Legislature purchased it in 1959. The 1960s was a period of rapid development of the grounds. In 1960, the new
governor's residence replaced the old residence which was deteriorating. In 1980, expanding
State Historical Society of North Dakota
The State Historical Society of North Dakota is an agency that preserves and presents history through museums and historic sites in the state of North Dakota. The agency operates the North Dakota Heritage Center in Bismarck, which serves as a hist ...
moved into the new
North Dakota Heritage Center
The North Dakota Heritage Center & State Museum, located on the North Dakota State Capitol grounds in Bismarck, is the state of North Dakota's official history museum. The original building, which was opened in 1981, is operated by the State H ...
and in 1968, the
North Dakota Department of Transportation
The North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT) is a part of the government of the U.S. state of North Dakota. NDDOT oversees the state's transportation system. This includes planning both new construction and reconstruction projects on road ...
occupied the building designed to provide it more office space. The Transportation Building is the last constructed on the campus to date, although a Judicial Wing was added onto the base of the capitol tower between 1977 and 1981. While the space needed by state government has increased since the original construction of the Capitol in the 1930s, the state's population has decreased.
Layout
The state capitol grounds has six buildings: the capitol building, the Department of Transportation Building, the North Dakota Heritage Center, the Liberty Memorial Building, the governor's residence, and the State Office Building. Additionally, the campus holds Myron Atkinson Park and the Capitol Park. Through the center of the grounds is the Capitol Mall, a large open field of grass with walking paths lined by
American Elm
''Ulmus americana'', generally known as the American elm or, less commonly, as the white elm or water elm, is a species of elm native to eastern North America, naturally occurring from Nova Scotia west to Alberta and Montana, and south to Flor ...
trees. The Mall was the site of the state's
snow angel
A snow angel is a design, made in fresh snow, by lying on one's back and moving one's arms up and down, and one's legs from side to side, to form the shape of an angel.
Technique
The creation of the snow angel is a simple process. The first s ...
world record breaking in 2007, with 8,962 people sprawled out on the snow-covered mall; a picture was taken from the top of the Capitol tower.
Buildings
State Capitol
The capitol building is a tall, 21-story,
Art Deco
Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...
,
high rise
A tower block, high-rise, apartment tower, residential tower, apartment block, block of flats, or office tower is a tall building, as opposed to a low-rise building and is defined differently in terms of height depending on the jurisdictio ...
designed by North Dakota architects
Joseph Bell DeRemer
Joseph Bell DeRemer (1871–1944), who lived and worked in Grand Forks, North Dakota, was one of the finest architects in North Dakota. Some of the important works produced by him or his firm, which included his son Samuel Teel DeRemer, include ...
of Grand Forks and
William F. Kurke of Fargo in conjunction with the noted Chicago firm of
Holabird and Root
The architectural firm now known as Holabird & Root was founded in Chicago in 1880. Over the years, the firm has changed its name several times and adapted to the architectural style then current — from Chicago School to Art Deco to Modern ...
,
It is the tallest building in North Dakota and is known as the ''Skyscraper on the Prairie''. This tower houses the office of the governor and the offices of multiple state agencies and departments. At the tower's base, in the west wing, the two chambers of the
legislature
A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make law
Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its p ...
meet when in session while the
state supreme court
In the United States, a state supreme court (known by #Terminology, other names in some states) is the supreme court, highest court in the State court (United States), state judiciary of a U.S. state. On matters of State law (United States), st ...
meets in the east wing. The 18th floor of the Capitol is an observation deck with the highest vantage point in the state.
The south side of the Capitol building features a drive-through tunnel which leads to an entrance to the building. This was accessible by public vehicles until 2001 when it was closed due to security measures after the
September 11, 2001, attacks
The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commerc ...
. Today, only pedestrians are able to enter the tunnel. In 1988,
U.S. President
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; pr ...
presented and dedicated an
American Elm
''Ulmus americana'', generally known as the American elm or, less commonly, as the white elm or water elm, is a species of elm native to eastern North America, naturally occurring from Nova Scotia west to Alberta and Montana, and south to Flor ...
tree near the Capitol steps in commemoration of the state's
Centennial
{{other uses, Centennial (disambiguation), Centenary (disambiguation)
A centennial, or centenary in British English, is a 100th anniversary or otherwise relates to a century, a period of 100 years.
Notable events
Notable centennial events at a ...
of 1989.
The many windows on the capitol building's tower are used for several ongoing traditions. During the
Christmas
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...
season, red and green shades are drawn over the windows and lights are turned on in certain offices to make a pattern that resembles a
Christmas tree
A Christmas tree is a decorated tree, usually an evergreen conifer, such as a spruce, pine or fir, or an artificial tree of similar appearance, associated with the celebration of Christmas. The custom was further developed in early modern ...
. During the
New Year's Eve
In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve, also known as Old Year's Day or Saint Sylvester's Day in many countries, is the evening or the entire day of the last day of the year, on 31 December. The last day of the year is commonly referred to ...
, office lights are turned on to spell out the new year; the first two numbers of the new year are given on the top half, and the last two numbers on the bottom. This tradition began during the 1970s, and is now done on all four sides of the building; the Christmas tree tradition began as early as the 1940s.
Tours of the capitol building are available on weekdays. Weekend tours are available Memorial Day through Labor Day. Tours include stops throughout both the building's legislative and judicial wings as well as an elevator ride to the top of the tower.
Judicial Wing
![North Dakota State Capitol 07](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ce/North_Dakota_State_Capitol_07.jpg)
The judicial wing serves as a hub for the
state supreme court
In the United States, a state supreme court (known by #Terminology, other names in some states) is the supreme court, highest court in the State court (United States), state judiciary of a U.S. state. On matters of State law (United States), st ...
and its support staff, as well as office space for state agencies like the Department of Health and the Department of Human Resources. The design for the building began in May 1977, construction began in April 1979 and it was finished completely and occupied by 1981. The size of the Judicial Wing is and was built at a cost of $10.5 million. The dedication for the addition was held on November 15, 1981, with both Governor
Allen Olson and former Governor
Arthur A. Link present at the ceremony. Included in the wing is the Capitol lunchroom, which serves food to state employees and even the general public on weekdays.
Prior to the 2017 Legislative Assembly, two new committee rooms were added in the Judicial Wing (in a space vacated by the Information Technology Department). These rooms are used by various legislative committees when the Assembly is in session, and by the Judicial branch when the Legislature is not meeting.
![Liberty Memorial Building - Bismarck, North Dakota](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d2/Liberty_Memorial_Building_-_Bismarck%2C_North_Dakota.jpg)
Liberty Memorial Building
The Liberty Memorial Building is home to the
State Library
A national library is established by the government of a nation to serve as the pre-eminent repository of information for that country. Unlike public libraries, they rarely allow citizens to borrow books. Often, they include numerous rare, valuab ...
, as well as offices for the North Dakota Parks & Recreation Department. The building's construction was authorized by the state's legislature in 1919 in response to an increase of governmental departments and the project was finished by 1924 with a cost of $350,000. The building originally housed the State Historical Society Museum, the
Adjutant General
An adjutant general is a military chief administrative officer.
France
In Revolutionary France, the was a senior staff officer, effectively an assistant to a general officer. It was a special position for lieutenant-colonels and colonels in staf ...
, the State Library Commission, and the supreme court until the State Library occupied it. The building is the oldest facility still on the capitol grounds and was renovated in 1982 to conform with modern building codes.
Department of Transportation building
![North Dakota Department of Transportation](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5b/North_Dakota_Department_of_Transportation.jpg)
The North Dakota Department of Transportation Building is home to the central office of the state's transportation department, as well as small divisions of other agencies. The building was completed in 1968 with materials that harmonize visually with the earlier structures. Before it was consolidated in this building, the Department of Transportation, known then as the State Highway Department, occupied several buildings around the campus including the State Office Building and the capitol. The building contains of space and is just to the east of the capitol tower. While above ground the building is separated from the tower, it is connected to the Judicial Wing by a tunnel accessible only to state employees.
North Dakota Heritage Center
The North Dakota Heritage Center building is home to the Heritage Center museum which stores and displays artifacts from around the state. The building also is home to office space for the
North Dakota State Historical Society
The State Historical Society of North Dakota is an agency that preserves and presents history through museums and historic sites in the state of North Dakota. The agency operates the North Dakota Heritage Center in Bismarck, which serves as a his ...
which operates the museum. Planning for the building began as early as 1963 and upon completion of the structure in 1981, the State Historical Society moved from the Liberty Memorial Building into its new Heritage Center quarters. The facility consists of and provides exhibit areas as well as storage, meeting rooms, and offices.
In 2006, state officials revealed a massive expansion plan for the center. The construction cost approximately $50 million and nearly doubled the size of the complex adding three large galleries to the east of the existing structure, as well as a new main entry fronting State Street. The building consisted of and the expansion added . Funding for the project consisted of twenty percent private, twenty percent federal, and sixty percent state. In addition to the new gallery area, the expansion includes a 50-seat
digital
Digital usually refers to something using discrete digits, often binary digits.
Technology and computing Hardware
*Digital electronics, electronic circuits which operate using digital signals
**Digital camera, which captures and stores digital i ...
auditorium
An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances. For movie theatres, the number of auditoria (or auditoriums) is expressed as the number of screens. Auditoria can be found in entertainment venues, community ...
, climate-controlled storage areas, a
café
A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that primarily serves coffee of various types, notably espresso, latte, and cappuccino. Some coffeehouses may serve cold drinks, such as iced coffee and iced tea, as well as other non-ca ...
, a children's gallery, expanded visitors service and store, and the ''Corridor of History'', a -wide walkway spanning the length of the expansion with a glazed southern exposure on one side and digital murals on the other.
State Office Building
The State Office Building, on the complex's southeast corner, contains the Water Commission, in addition to several divisions of the office of the
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general.
In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...
: the Civil Litigation Division and the Natural Resources and
Indian Affairs
The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), also known as Indian Affairs (IA), is a United States federal agency within the Department of the Interior. It is responsible for implementing federal laws and policies related to American Indians and Al ...
attorneys. Built in 1955, the structure housed the Bismarck Junior College until 1961 when the legislature authorized its purchase. Since then, it has been home for various state agencies. During the 1991-1993 biennium, the building underwent massive renovation and was re-faced with an exterior that blended more harmoniously with the complex's other buildings. At , the building is the smallest of the those housing offices.
North Dakota Governor's Residence
![Ndgovresidence](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/27/Ndgovresidence.JPG)
Prior to 1960, North Dakota's
First Family
First Family is an unofficial title for the family of a republic's head of state. A first family usually consists of: the head of state, the first spouse and their children.
Related terms
The term ''second family'' is often used to refer to t ...
lived in a house off the capitol grounds. In 1960, the state constructed a residence near 4th Street on the west side of the campus to replace the outdated residence. After an extensive remodeling effort managed by then-first-lady Nancy Schafer in 2000, the residence had more than of floor space and eighteen rooms. In 2015, the legislature authorized a new residence adjacent to the current facility that would address security and accessibility issues. The state offered the structure to anyone who would relocate it, but received no bids, so it was demolished. The new structure had an anticipated cost of $5 million with a requirement $1 million be raised by private donations. The governor's family occupied the new residence in March 2018.
Outdoor facilities
Parks
Two parks, the Myron Atkinson Park and the Capitol Park occupy space on the capitol grounds. The Myron Atkinson Park, named after the Bismarck attorney Myron Atkinson, is east of State Street. Pedestrians can access the park via a tunnel. The Capitol Park is at the northwest corner of the grounds at the intersection of 4th Street and Divide Avenue and includes a playground with trees and shrubs planted by the Farwest Rotary Club.
Arboretum Trail
The Arboretum Trail is a walking trail winding through a wooded area on the west side of the grounds. Walkers pass 60-million-year-old petrified tree stumps from the
Amidon, North Dakota
Amidon ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of Slope County, North Dakota, United States.
Amidon was the smallest incorporated county seat at the 2000 census. When the 2020 census reported its population as 24, it became the second-smallest ...
, area, as well as 75 different species of trees and shrubs which are labeled with ground plaques. Various statues and memorials are also on the trail. The trail was created in 1985 in anticipation of the state's centennial and as an opportunity for state employees and the public to exercise while learning about various trees and the history of the buildings on the grounds. Many area schools take their students to the trail for nature walks and students have used the various trees for leaf collections. This damaged some of the trees, so signs that forbid leaf picking were posted.
Prairie Trail
The Prairie Trail runs north of the Capitol's Judicial Wing, taking pedestrians into an area filled with examples of grasses and wild flowers which are typical of native prairie. In 2006, the trail was expanded to take walkers from the corner of State Street and Divide Avenue south into the main grounds area. The original trail was dedicated with a plaque in 1987 and the wild grassland surrounding the trail was registered as a state Natural Area by the Parks and Recreation Department.
Statues and monuments
''Pioneer Family''
The ''Pioneer Family'' statue is one of the most prominent on the grounds, as it is on the southern end of the mall in the foreground of the capitol tower. The statue was sculpted in 1946 by
Avard Fairbanks
Avard Tennyson Fairbanks (March 2, 1897 – January 1, 1987) was a 20th-century American sculptor. Over his eighty-year career, he sculpted over 100 public monuments and hundreds of artworks. Fairbanks is known for his religious-themed commis ...
and dedicated to honor the memory of the great northwest.
All Veterans Memorial
The All Veterans Memorial is a large monument south of the
Heritage Center
A heritage centre, center, or museum is a public facility – typically a museum, monument, visitor centre, or park – that is primarily dedicated to the presentation of historical and cultural information about a place and its people, and of ...
, along a walking path. The memorial is to all North Dakotans who served in the armed forces during the first 100 years of statehood was finished and dedicated on June 10, 1989. The names of 4,050 men and women who died in the nation's wars are inscribed on the
bronze
Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...
tablets displayed under a large block of stone supported by columns. The monument is lit during the night. Stone benches are available for seating.
Other statues
Other statues on the capitol grounds include
Sakakawea
Sacagawea ( or ; also spelled Sakakawea or Sacajawea; May – December 20, 1812 or April 9, 1884)[Sacagawea]
...
,
John Burke,
Cortés, Buffalo, ''Pioneers of the Future'', Purple Heart Memorial, Peace Officers Memorial, French Gratitude, and
USS ''North Dakota'' bowplate.
See also
*
List of tallest buildings by U.S. state
The following is a list of the tallest buildings by U.S. state and territory. Forty are in their state's largest city, and 18 are in their capital city. The tallest building in the U.S. by architectural height is currently One World Trade Cent ...
*
List of state and territorial capitols in the United States
This is a list of state and territorial capitols in the United States, the building or complex of buildings from which the government of each U.S. state, the District of Columbia and the organized territories of the United States, exercise its ...
Notes
External links
North Dakota State Capitol historyMap of the North Dakota State Capitol
{{Authority control
Government buildings in North Dakota
Capitol
A capitol, named after the Capitoline Hill in Rome, is usually a legislative building where a legislature meets and makes laws for its respective political entity.
Specific capitols include:
* United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.
* Numerous ...
State capitols in the United States
Art Deco architecture in North Dakota
Joseph Bell DeRemer buildings
Skyscrapers in North Dakota
History museums in North Dakota
Museums in Bismarck, North Dakota
Skyscraper office buildings in North Dakota
Government buildings completed in 1932
1932 establishments in North Dakota