Hoar Frost on the Capitol Grounds (51102159520)

Liberty Memorial Building dedication plaque

The Liberty Memorial Building is a building located on the North Dakota State Capitol grounds in

Bismarck, North Dakota Bismarck () is the capital of the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Burleigh County. It is the state's second-most populous city, after Fargo. The city's population was 73,622 in the 2020 census, while its metropolitan popula ...

. The Liberty Memorial Building was completed in 1924, and is the oldest building still standing on the capitol grounds. The Liberty Memorial Building is the home of the

North Dakota State Library The North Dakota State Library is a government operated library in the U.S. state of North Dakota. Located in the state's capital city of Bismarck on the capital grounds, the library has been in operation since 1907. The State Library is a divis ...

History

The Liberty Memorial Building is located at 604 East Boulevard Avenue on the capitol grounds in Bismarck. It was originally built to provide additional office space for state agencies and to mark the end of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The building is dedicated to the memory of the men and women of North Dakota who served in that war. It was designed in 1920 by Keith & Kurke, of Fargo and Bismarck, and it was finished in 1924 with a cost of $450,000.

Design

The design of the building is typical of the federal-type buildings of the era and is designed in the classical style of architecture with a

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

exterior. The foundation was constructed using sawed

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...

, and the exterior ground level walls are made of Bedford Stone. The main doors at the top of a large set of stairs are made from ornamental

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 ...

, and the walls of the first floor lobby are finished in Kasota Stone, which was quarried in

Kasota, Minnesota Kasota is a city within the larger Kasota Township, Le Sueur County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 714 at the 2020 census. Geography Kasota is about halfway between Mankato and St. Peter on the eastern side of the Minnesota Riv ...

. The first floor corridor and the grand stairway are finished in

travertine Travertine ( ) is a form of terrestrial limestone deposited around mineral springs, especially hot springs. It often has a fibrous or concentric appearance and exists in white, tan, cream-colored, and even rusty varieties. It is formed by a pro ...

that was imported from

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. The floors of the corridors and tread of stairway are made from

Terrazzo Terrazzo is a composite material, poured in place or precast, which is used for floor and wall treatments. It consists of chips of marble, quartz, granite, glass, or other suitable material, poured with a cementitious binder (for chemical bindi ...

and Kasota Marble, and the balusters and railing are made from Italian Travertine and Italian Tavernelle Clairemarble. In 1981, the building underwent a major renovation which updated existing systems to modern code specifications.

Notes

External links

History of the building at State Library website
{{coord, 46, 49, 09, N, 100, 46, 53, W, format=dms, display=title, type:landmark_region:US-ND Buildings and structures in North Dakota Buildings and structures in Bismarck, North Dakota