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The Wisconsin State Capitol, located in Madison, Wisconsin, houses both arms of the Wisconsin legislature, the state Supreme Court, and the Office of the Governor. The current building, completed in 1917, is actually the fourth building to serve as state capitol since Wisconsin was granted statehood in 1848 and the third located in Madison.
The 1904 Fire
On the night of February 26, 1904, a gas jet ignited a newly-varnished ceiling in the third capitol building. A nearby University reservoir was empty, so water had to be brought in from Milwaukee to fight the blaze. The situtation was further complicated by the bitter cold temperatures; by the time the water reached Madison, it had stated to freeze. As a result, the entire structure except the north wing burned to the ground.
The Current Capitol Building
In 1906, the state building commission approved plans by architect George Browne Post for the new state capitol building. Due to financial limitations and the need for immediate office space to house state government employees, the construction of the new building was extended over several years and focused on building one wing at a time.
The building is modeled after dome of the United States Capitol building in Washington, DC, except that it is several inches shorter than the national capitol. The dome is constructed from White Bethel Granite from Vermont, is the only granite dome in the United States, and is topped with the 15-foot-5-inch 22-carat gold-guilded statue "Wisconsin". The statue is commonly misidentified as "Lady Forward" or "Miss Forward", which is actually another statue on the capitol grounds.
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