Top of page

Notice
Tuesday, January 27, 2026: Due to inclement weather, all Library of Congress buildings are closed to the public.

Photo, Print, Drawing Illinois State Capitol Complex, Capitol, 401 South 2nd Street, Springfield, Sangamon County, IL

[ Drawings from Survey HABS IL-1283-A  ]

More Resources

[ Data Pages from Survey HABS IL-1283-A  ]
[ Photo Captions from Survey HABS IL-1283-A  ]

About this Item

Title

  • Illinois State Capitol Complex, Capitol, 401 South 2nd Street, Springfield, Sangamon County, IL

Names

  • Historic American Buildings Survey, creator
  • Cochrane, John Crombie
  • Garnsey, George Otis
  • Piquenard, Alfred Henry
  • Boyington, William W.
  • Strott, Nicholas
  • R. W. McClaughry & Company
  • Barnard and Gowen
  • James Clark and Son
  • Sanger and Steel
  • Nobes, Isaac
  • Walker, Edwin
  • Loring, Sanford E.
  • Chicago Terra Cotta Company
  • Klugel & Hinkley
  • N. S. Bouton and Company
  • E. C. Ketchum and Company
  • Bedeau, Paul
  • E. S. Miragoli & Moretti
  • Oglesby, Richard J.
  • Bell, M. E.
  • Powell, Paul
  • Mather, Hannah
  • Mather, Thomas
  • Illinois Capital Development Board, sponsor
  • Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc., contractor
  • Vinci Hamp Architects, Inc., contractor
  • Itle, Kenneth, historian
  • Slaton, Deborah, historian
  • Schwartz, Leslie, photographer

Created / Published

  • Documentation compiled after 1933

Headings

  • -  state government
  • -  capitols
  • -  Italianate architectural elements
  • -  Second Empire architectural elements
  • -  Indiana limestone
  • -  terra cotta
  • -  cruciform plan
  • -  Illinois--Sangamon County--Springfield

Latitude / Longitude

  • 39.798401,-89.654967

Notes

  • -  Significance: The Illinois State Capitol is considered significant for its architectural style and in the subject areas of politics and government. Its period of construction, 1868–1888, is reflected in the building's architectural design and in the chronology of its construction, which was guided by the political machinations that delayed its completion. The era of the construction of the Capitol was a time of much experimentation in terms of architectural style and construction technology. This experimentation is embodied in the Capitol's size and height, its use of iron structural elements, its use of terra cotta and cast stone on the exterior, and its use of carton-pierre, scagliola, and encaustic tile on the interior. As was traditional in classical architecture, the Capitol is characterized by bilateral symmetry. The formal entrance is at the center of the long east side and bisects the symmetrical facade. The most dramatic exterior feature is the dome, which towers above the principal building mass. The dome, at 361 feet above grade, is still the tallest of the non-skyscraper U.S. state capitols. The Illinois State Capitol was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1985 in recognition of its significance in politics/government (Criterion A) and architecture (Criterion C). The nomination notes that its architectural style is representative of the exuberance of the post-Civil War era, where precedents from various previous styles were combined and exaggerated to create an ornate and complex assemblage that connotes affluence and power. Although numerous renovations and restorations have been implemented at the Illinois State Capitol, its exterior appearance and the public areas of the interior retain much of their appearance when the building was completed in 1888. This ornate structure remains in use as the Capitol, seat of state government, and a physical link to the state's past.
  • -  Survey number: HABS IL-1283-A
  • -  Building/structure dates: 1868-1877 Initial Construction
  • -  Building/structure dates: 1885-1888 Subsequent Work
  • -  Building/structure dates: before 1897 Subsequent Work
  • -  Building/structure dates: 1915-1916 Subsequent Work
  • -  Building/structure dates: 1932 Subsequent Work
  • -  National Register of Historic Places NRIS Number: 85003178

Medium

  • Photo(s): 140
  • Measured Drawing(s): 28
  • Data Page(s): 90
  • Photo Caption Page(s): 7

Call Number/Physical Location

  • HABS IL-1283-A

Source Collection

  • Historic American Buildings Survey (Library of Congress)

Repository

Control Number

  • il1142

Rights Advisory

Online Format

  • image
  • pdf

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress does not own rights to material in its collections. Therefore, it does not license or charge permission fees for use of such material and cannot grant or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute the material.

Ultimately, it is the researcher's obligation to assess copyright or other use restrictions and obtain permission from third parties when necessary before publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in the Library's collections.

For information about reproducing, publishing, and citing material from this collection, as well as access to the original items, see: Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record/Historic American Landscape Survey (HABS/HAER/HALS) Collection - Rights and Restrictions Information

  • Rights Advisory: No known restrictions on images made by the U.S. Government; images copied from other sources may be restricted. https://aj.sunback.homes/rr/print/res/114_habs.html
  • Reproduction Number: ---
  • Call Number: HABS IL-1283-A
  • Access Advisory: ---

Obtaining Copies

If Digital Images Are Displaying

You can download online images yourself. Alternatively, you can purchase copies of various types through Library of Congress Duplication Services.

HABS/HAER/HALS materials have generally been scanned at high resolution that is suitable for most publication purposes (see Digitizing the Collection for further details about the digital images).

  • Photographs--All photographs are printed from digital files to preserve the fragile originals.
    • Make note of the Call Number and Item Number that appear under the photograph in the multiple-image display (e.g., HAER, NY,52-BRIG,4-2).
    • If possible, include a printout of the photograph.
  • Drawings--All drawings are printed from digital files to preserve the fragile originals.
    • Make note of the Survey Number (e.g., HAER NY - 143) and Sheet Number (e.g., "Sheet 1 of 4"), which appear on the edge of the drawing. (NOTE: These numbers are visible in the Tiff "Reference Image" display.)
    • If possible, include a printout of the drawing.
  • Data Pages
    • Make note of the Call Number in the catalog record.

If Digital Images Are Not Displaying

In the rare case that a digital image for HABS/HAER/HALS documentation is not displaying online, select images for reproduction through one of these methods:

  • Visit the Prints & Photographs Reading Room and request to view the group (general information about service in the reading room is available at: https://aj.sunback.homes/rr/print/info/001_ref.html). It is best to contact reference staff in advance (see: https://aj.sunback.homes/rr/print/address.html) to make sure the material is on site. OR
  • P&P reading room staff can provide up to 15 quick copies of items per calendar year (many original items in the holdings are too old or fragile to make such copies, but generally HABS/HAER/HALS materials are in good enough condition to be placed on photocopy machines). For assistance, see our Ask a Librarian page OR
  • Hire a freelance researcher to do further selection for you (a list of researchers in available at: https://aj.sunback.homes/rr/print/resource/013_pic.html).
  • You can purchase copies of various types, including quick copies, through Library of Congress Duplication Services (price lists, contact information, and order forms for Library of Congress Duplication Services are available on the Duplication Services Web site):
    • Make note of the Call Number listed above.
    • Look at the Medium field above. If it lists more than one item:
      • The entire group can be ordered as photocopies or high-quality copies.
      • All the items in a particular medium (e.g., all drawings, all photographs) can be ordered as photocopies or high-quality copies.

Access to Originals

Please use the following steps to determine whether you need to fill out a call slip in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room to view the original item(s). In some cases, a surrogate (substitute image) is available, often in the form of a digital image, a copy print, or microfilm.

  1. Is the item digitized? (A thumbnail (small) image will be visible on the left.)

    • Yes, the item is digitized. Please use the digital image in preference to requesting the original. All images can be viewed at a large size when you are in any reading room at the Library of Congress. In some cases, only thumbnail (small) images are available when you are outside the Library of Congress because the item is rights restricted or has not been evaluated for rights restrictions.
      As a preservation measure, we generally do not serve an original item when a digital image is available. If you have a compelling reason to see the original, consult with a reference librarian. (Sometimes, the original is simply too fragile to serve. For example, glass and film photographic negatives are particularly subject to damage. They are also easier to see online where they are presented as positive images.)
    • No, the item is not digitized. Please go to #2.
  2. Do the Access Advisory or Call Number fields above indicate that a non-digital surrogate exists, such as microfilm or copy prints?

    • Yes, another surrogate exists. Reference staff can direct you to this surrogate.
    • No, another surrogate does not exist. Please go to #3.
  3. If you do not see a thumbnail image or a reference to another surrogate, please fill out a call slip in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room. In many cases, the originals can be served in a few minutes. Other materials require appointments for later the same day or in the future. Reference staff can advise you in both how to fill out a call slip and when the item can be served.

To contact Reference staff in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room, please use our Ask A Librarian service or call the reading room between 8:30 and 5:00 at 202-707-6394, and Press 3.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Historic American Buildings Survey, Creator, John Crombie Cochrane, George Otis Garnsey, Alfred Henry Piquenard, William W Boyington, Nicholas Strott, R. W. Mcclaughry & Company, et al., Schwartz, Leslie, photographer. Illinois State Capitol Complex, Capitol, 401 South 2nd Street, Springfield, Sangamon County, IL. Sangamon County Illinois Springfield, 1933. Documentation Compiled After. Photograph. https://aj.sunback.homes/item/il1142/.

APA citation style:

Historic American Buildings Survey, C., Cochrane, J. C., Garnsey, G. O., Piquenard, A. H., Boyington, W. W., Strott, N. [...] Slaton, D., Schwartz, L., photographer. (1933) Illinois State Capitol Complex, Capitol, 401 South 2nd Street, Springfield, Sangamon County, IL. Sangamon County Illinois Springfield, 1933. Documentation Compiled After. [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://aj.sunback.homes/item/il1142/.

MLA citation style:

Historic American Buildings Survey, Creator, et al., photographer by Schwartz, Leslie. Illinois State Capitol Complex, Capitol, 401 South 2nd Street, Springfield, Sangamon County, IL. Documentation Compiled After. Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <aj.sunback.homes/item/il1142/>.