Lake County Gazette

Anyone who has visited the Illinois State Capitol in recent years has noticed significant construction activity. The north wing of the Capitol is undergoing a three-year renovation project aimed at modernizing the historic building while preserving its 19th-century atmosphere and décor.

This current renovation follows earlier projects, including a complete revamp of the House and Senate chambers in 2006-2007 and a large-scale rebuild of the west wing in 2011-2012.

The west wing renovation led to the installation of the final element of architect Alfred Piquenard’s original vision, concluding a story still recounted by tour guides in two different state capitols hundreds of miles apart.

Construction on the current Illinois State Capitol building at 2nd and Monroe—Illinois' sixth statehouse and second in Springfield—began in 1868 after outgrowing its previous building at 6th and Adams. Designed by Chicago architect Alfred Piquenard, the new structure was intended to be the tallest domed building in the United States, providing ample office space for all state government agencies. Its broad staircases, grand hallways, and high ceilings were designed to capture Gilded Age grandeur.

A key feature of Piquenard’s design was a grand staircase facing the rotunda between the second and third floors, illuminated from above by a skylight and from below by lamps held aloft by classically-draped female statues manufactured in France. However, some Illinois legislators found these statues too risqué for a public building in the late 19th century. They were replaced with plain lampposts at the base of the staircase.

Piquenard passed away in 1876, but his team continued his work. The building was sufficiently completed for state government operations to move in during 1877, though it wasn't fully finished until 1888.

Before his death, Piquenard had also been working on another project: designing Iowa's new capitol. In 1874, Iowa Governor Cyrus Clay Carpenter and commissioners visited Springfield's construction site and were impressed enough to hire Piquenard for their own capitol building. The Des Moines structure shares many architectural similarities with Springfield’s Capitol—including using Piquenard’s original lamp-holding statues without objection from Iowa officials.

These statues remain in Des Moines today.

In early 21st century Illinois began planning renovations for its west wing with an aim to restore it as closely as possible to its original appearance from 1877. Over time, various modifications had eroded much of its historical charm. As part of this restoration effort, designers sought replicas of Piquenard’s statue lampposts since it was unlikely that Iowa would return them.

Using laser scans taken from Des Moines’ originals, exact replicas were created and installed at Springfield’s grand staircase landing on the second floor.

After nearly 150 years, Alfred Piquenard’s vision for a grand capitol building in Springfield is finally complete.