Minnesota State Capitol

Good looking state Capitol. Easy in and out. Lots of places to eat around the area.

My son and I took a tour here recently, and I found the tour to be delightful. I was overwelmed by how much history lies in this building. The tour guide seemed to know a ton about the place and its history. We learned a lot from her. I’ve lived in five states in my lifetime, and I’ve toured all of those state capitols. None of them were as beautiful and delightful as Minnesota’s. I would love to bring my son here again sometime and keep learning more about the building and its history.

Awesome building sadly I came during remodel but plan to go back when done its for sure worth the time for a stop

I was in town putting together a veterans book for a local business to I spent much of my time visiting veterans memorials through out Minneapolis and St. Paul. And the Capitol Mall did not disappoint. There was a treasure trove of memorials and it’s a well-​kept greenspace and while I thought parking or getting around would be super complicated, it actually wasn’t. I visited late in the afternoon so I didn’t visit the actual capitol building but if you’re in need of a leisurely, peaceful walk, this seems to be a nice place. And I felt safe for the most part. There was one time a man, who appeared to be homeless, kind of followed me around a little and then tried to get into a portapotty that was fenced off where they are doing construction. It was odd, but I kept near to the busy street.
There are a lot of beautiful monuments here and would be a great stop for any veteran or service employees (police/​firemen). Here are descriptions for a few of them:
1. Korean War Veterans Memorial, located within the Capitol Mall, features a soldier searching for his lost unit and comrades and is intended to represent the missing in action from the Korean War. Engraved accompanying paving stones provide a chronological account of the war and small columns list the names of the 700 Minnesotans who died during the war.
2. The Minnesota World War II Memorial, located within the Capitol Mall. A granite decline leading to the lowest point of the memorial and rising toward the Capitol, represents the passage of our nation through the Second World War — symbolic of a hill rising from the depths of military struggle to eventual victory. Surrounding the rectangular slope is a series of ten vertical panels or windows anchored in granite foundations. Reflecting from these etched panes of glass are symbolic images and narratives revealing the Minnesota Veterans journey through the war.
3. The Minnesota Vietnam Veterans Memorial, located within the Capitol Mall, honors the 68,000 Minnesotans who served in the war — and the 1,120 who were killed or missing in action. There are 68,000 granite tiles in the plaza; the green ones represent the dead and missing — whose names are carved into a wall of honor topped by a line from Archibald MacLeish’s 1948 poem «The young dead soldiers do not speak.»
4. One of the coolest finds on the property is this huge naval gun on display on the west side of the Veterans Service Building in St. Paul, was manned by St. Paul reservists aboard the U.S.S. Ward. A Japanese Midget Submarine was fired upon and subsequently sank using this gun. It was the first shot by Americans at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1931.

Minnesota State Capitol building is a stunning building. It is a beautifully designed monument. The senators, state representatives, attorney general and the governor of the state must be so lucky to work in such a majestic office.
I found out that the unsupported marble dome is second largest in the world after Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome. The designer of the Capitol, Cass Gilbert, modeled it after the Basilica in Rome. The marble dome is a perfect homage to Michelangelo. The quadriga — chariot pulled by four horses representing earth, air, fire and water, is a sculpture that sits above the portico is worth seeing up close. The meaning behind the design of the sculpture is beautiful. One can get a magnificent view of the cathedral and downtown St. Paul from this building.
The Capitol offers guided (45 minute) tours and self-​guided tours as well. It is a must visit for tourists and locals.

State Capitol!

What a wonderful way to spend an afternoon on a day off. Such an impressive, gorgeous building and grounds. We are free to walk through it on our own or take a guided tour with a docent. The tours are hourly, and the docent tour makes the experience very interesting and educational. I learned so much on the tour. I guess my only complaint is that I wish it was longer., I wanna hear more… as you can tell I really enjoyed it, since I love architectural, art and history… if you do, too you wouldn’t want to miss this. If you are a photographer (or a wannabe amateur like I am) you can get awesome shots of the cathedral and the city of St Paul, too from the capitol. This is definately worth seeing. Oh, and don’t miss Gov. Ventura’s portrait on the lower level :)

My friend and I went to tour the Capitol on a Monday. We got the at 4:30 and it closed at 5 so that’s good to note. They gave us a Mpls/​SP magazine and a Capitol brochure and let us explore. It was beautiful! We got to look in the Senate and House chambers as well as the Supreme Court. It’s such a beautiful building.

I love the Capitol Building! I came here last week for their spirits and whatnot tour and they did a very nice job. The architecture was pretty schmancy and it didn’t feel stuffy like the statehouse in beantown. I’m going to tour it again in daylight, seems like a nifty gift of history.

I’m a big fan of state capitols and visit them whenever I can. This one is very big and features really nice paintings of all the governors which is fun. You see some names you recognize from all the big food companies in the area. I really had to search and ask where the most famous one, Jessie Ventura was (way down in the basement). It was a very interesting action figure type pose which was amusing.
The inside of the capitol had some pretty details but most of it was painted in a Norwegian stencil feeling design. It was unique but unexpected for a government building. The inside didn’t seem to go along with the outside of the building but I’m no archechict expert.
I think I prefer the more over the top government excess spending type of capitol buildings and this ones a little more simple.

I toured the Minnesota State Capitol in 2001, when Jesse Ventura was governor of the great State of Minnesota. This capitol is definitely on my list of of nation’s finest capitols. It’s a nice building, of course, like most capitols, but this particular capitol oozes class. It’s a swanky building but it’s not over the top. Many State Capitols try to hit you over the head with bling. Minnesota’s conveys cool, classy reserve. The rotunda and main rooms are decorated with, warm, dark colors, deep blues and reds, mohogany and cherry. It’s very well maintained and beatifully restored.
What keeps me from giving Minnesota’s Capitol the full 5 five stars is the paucity of its setting. It just sits there, not surrounded by a park or grand colonade but by a freeway on one side and roads and parking lots on the others. Its setting is removed from downtown St. Paul, shuffled off to the side, not really integrated into the city.