Washington State Capitol

Domed neoclassical capitol with the tallest masonry dome in the United States

The Legislative Building, completed in 1928 in restrained neoclassical style, is the centrepiece of the Washington State Capitol campus — a remarkable assembly of public buildings, formal lawns, fountains and view-corridors looking across Capitol Lake to the Olympic Mountains. The 287-foot stone dome is the fifth tallest masonry dome in the world.

Free guided tours run hourly on weekdays year-round (less often at weekends), taking visitors through the rotunda, the chambers, the Reception Room with its enormous Tiffany chandelier, and the Governor's office. The grounds are open all the time and include the Korean and Vietnam Veterans memorials, the WWII memorial sundial, and Tivoli Fountain.

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A story
The Legislative Building's 287-foot sandstone dome is the tallest stone dome in the United States and one of only four masonry domes still in daily government use anywhere in the world. Two of the great Tiffany chandeliers in the rotunda were destroyed in the 1949 earthquake; the third still hangs, the largest Tiffany chandelier ever made, held by a 101-foot cable that itself weighs more than the chandelier.