page_title: Michigan State Capitol
section_title: Building
hierarchical_section_title: Michigan State Capitol / Today / Building
caption_attribution_description: English: Glass-tiled ceiling in the Michigan State Capitol bearing the coat of arms of each state. (Probably the House of Representatives chambers)
context_page_description: The Michigan State Capitol is the building that houses the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is in the portion of the state capital of Lansing which lies in Ingham County. The present structure, at the intersection of Capitol and Michigan Avenues, is a National Historic Landmark that houses the chambers and offices of the Michigan Legislature as well as the ceremonial offices of the Governor of Michigan and Lieutenant Governor. Historically, this is the third building to house the Michigan government.
  The first state capitol was in Detroit, the original capital of Michigan, and was relocated to Lansing in 1847, due to the need to develop the state's western portion and for better defense from British troops stationed in Windsor, Ontario.
context_section_description: The Michigan State Capitol is 267 ft (81 m) from the ground to the tip of finial/spire above the dome. The building is 420 ft 2 in (128.07 m) long and 273 ft 11 in (83.49 m) wide (including approaches). The capitol occupies 1.16 acres (4,700 m²), has a perimeter of 1,520 ft (460 m). The structure contains  four stories, with public entrances on the ground floor. Two grand staircases in the north and south corridors go up to the top floor.  The rotunda measures 44.5 feet (13.6 m) in diameter and 160 feet (49 m) in height measured from the floor to the oculus.
  When it opened, the Capitol structure was large enough to host all the state agencies and departments. Due to the growth of state government, however, only the offices of Senate and House leadership and ceremonial offices for the governor and lieutenant governor remain in the capitol. The ground floor corridors led to "store rooms" designed by the architect in the original building plans. This includes an armory in the southwest corner of the south corridor. The original wood floor has been replaced by gray tiles. The rooms were originally lit with gas fixtures, though by 1900, the building had been refitted with electric lights. Today, the ground floor is home to several offices, including the Secretary of the Senate, the Clerk of the House, and the Capitol Tours and Information Service.
  Starting with the first floor and continuing to the third, black and white floor tiling is made of Vermont marble and limestone. The exception is the floor of the rotunda which is composed of 976 blocks of translucent glass, supported by iron beams and columns. It is a vault light, admitting light to the floor below. The blocks vary in size so that when viewed from the upper floors, they appear to form a bowl which mirrors the dome above. 
  The doorknobs are mostly made of a brass and bronze alloy (most of the original brass doorknobs have disappeared over time). The present doorknobs and hinges, locked for protection, display the state coat of arms. Though the building appears to have walnut woodwork, the wood is Michigan white pine that has been wood-grained to give the appearance of walnut.
  The first floor gives visitors their first view of the interior of the rotunda. Below the cast-iron dome, the ceiling displays eight muses painted in 1886. For more than a century, the muses' artist remained anonymous; it is now known that it was Tommaso Juglaris, who created them in his Boston studio and never came to Michigan.  In the east wing of the first floor is a large clock, called a long-drop clock. It was once the building's master clock and is at least as old as the Capitol. The clock was restored in 1990 and is in working condition.
  The second floor, in addition to housing the gubernatorial offices, features the Gallery of Governors with portraits of former Michigan Governors on the walls of the rotunda; the gallery extends up to the third floor. The governor's offices were among the most extensively restored during the 1989–1992 restoration. The office features a suite of original furnishings manufactured in 1876 by the Feige Brothers Company of Saginaw. The former chambers of the Michigan Supreme Court are in the south wing of the building. The court vacated its chambers in 1970 for larger quarters, eventually moving to its current location in the Michigan Hall of Justice. The room is now used by the Senate Appropriations Committee and named for longtime chairman Harry Gast.
  Public access to Michigan's legislative bodies is through the third floor. The capitol building holds the chambers and offices of the bicameral state legislature, which is composed of the Michigan House of Representatives and Michigan Senate. Public galleries are at both ends of the third floor. The Senate, with 38 members, has its chambers on the south side of the building, while the House of Representatives, with 110 members, has its chambers in the north wing. House sessions are normally held on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 1:00 PM and Thursdays at 10:30 AM, while Senate sessions begin at 10:00 AM on Tuesdays
caption: Tiled ceiling bearing each state's coat of arms
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