For nearly 120 years, until the new Judicial Branch Building was completed in 2003, Iowa’s justices heard cases in the Old Supreme Court Chamber. The large, elaborately carved mahogany bench, specially built for the Chamber, remains in place. This…
The Iowa State Law Library is located on the Capitol's second floor. The law library features four ornamental balconies with spiraled cast-iron railings and circular staircases at each end. The library houses a collection of approximately 100,000…
The Iowa House of Representatives Chamber, located on the second floor of the Capitol, was dedicated in 1884. There are 100 members in the House. The legislators use this chamber during each session of the Iowa General Assembly. Each General Assembly…
The State Auditor's Office is located in the south corridor on the first floor of the Capitol. Upon entering the Auditor's Office, one's eye is immediately drawn to the vault door. The vault is one of many in the building and retains its original…
The Iowa Constitution is on display in the office of the Secretary of State. The Iowa Constitution, signed in 1857, was restored in 1988 and is protected in a specially designed case.
The marble and granite Grand Staircase connects the first and second floors. The two lighted statues at the foot of the Grand Staircase were originally gaslit. These statues were commissioned for the Illinois Capitol but subsequently given to the…
The two-room suite was originally the Railroad Commissioner’s Office. The Railroad Commissioner was never an executive officer of the state, but the original location of the Railroad Commissioner’s Office on the first floor of the Capitol reflected…
Six mosaics in arched panels are located directly above the mural painting Westward, located on the east side ofthe Capitol's third floor. The mosaics were made in Venice, Italy, out of tiles of glass. Frederick Dielman of New York created the…
The Governor's office is located on the first floor of the Capitol. This office is a ceremonial office as well as a working office for the Governor. This is where the Governor greets dignitaries and holds formal bill signings. The office features the…
