Coming into Lansing from the east on the main drag of Michigan Avenue, you come to a T junction where you have to turn left. But if you dally for only a moment, you’ll get a glimpse of one of the most magnificent structures to be found, not only in the state, but anywhere in the country.
Each year, hundreds of thousands of visitors walk through the Michigan
State Capitol building, including some 115,000 who take
guided tours.
That’s the word from Matt Van Acker, who runs
the State Capitol Tour Guides and Information Service. Get Van Acker
going on the subject and he gets revved up like fuel-injected
dragster.
"We’re one of the most visited historic venues in the state," he says. "We think
we’re probably third or fourth in the nation as far as state capitols
go.”
Major Attraction
Opened on Jan. 1, 1879, the Capitol is a classic example of a style of architecture—a domed edifice—that has come to exemplify our whole system of government.
The building, designed by Elijah E. Myers—who went on to design state capitols in Texas and Colorado as well—was built over a six-year period at a cost of $1.5 million (and actually came in on budget!).
Myers was selected for the task after winning a design competition, and this work was considered pivotal to his career. His mastery is noted by the fact that the Michigan Capitol is one of only 13 capitol buildings—including the U.S. Capitol—that have been designated as a National Historic Landmark.
By the time of his death in 1909, Meyers had gone on to design at least one major building in every state of the Union except Maine.
A solid masonry structure—it contained 19 million bricks—the Michigan Capitol is faced with Ohio sandstone because the sandstone from Michigan quarries was considered too soft and was too high in stain-inducing iron to be used.
The floors are made of Vermont marble and limestone, materials of such quality that they’ve been used up and are no longer available.
The interior is of walnut in a few places, but mostly of pine that was painted to look like walnut. Originally, there was more than nine acres of decorative art on the walls and ceilings—faux-finish designs that make the building look much more costly than it really was.
“The idea was to build a beautiful building without breaking the bank,” Van Acker said.
Saving GraceOddly enough, the Capitol nearly faced the wrecking ball.
Over the years, numerous changes were made to the building. By the late 1960s and early 70s, the original 22-foot floors had been divided into sub floors to double the office space—a misguided attempt to save the building in the face of criticism that the Capitol had outlived its usefulness and should be torn down and replaced by a modern building.
“They did a lot of damage to the original artwork,” said Van Acker, who began his career at the Capitol 15 years ago as a volunteer tour guide. “There were some places where 20 layers of paint were covering the original designs.”
But saner heads prevailed, and from 1989 to 1992, the Capitol was fully restored. All the subfloors (some 50,000 square feet of them) were removed. Layers of paint were stripped off to get back to the original artwork, which was repaired by restorative painters.
In all, the restoration cost $58 million—about $6 for every citizen of the state of Michigan.
“The building we see today is really as close as we can humanly come to the original—with some exceptions, such as electric lights,” Van Acker said.
“There are priceless things in this building that people never think about. The chandeliers are original—you can’t replace them. The challenge was making it historically accurate but keeping it functional. It’s a museum, but it’s also an office building.”
It’s also very much “the people’s building,” Van Acker said, and in this age of heightened security, the Capitol remains almost remarkably accessible.
“We’re trying to make people feel welcome—we don’t want to lose sight of who this building belongs to and who pays for it."
“The first time I came was when I was four-years-old with my brother’s Cub Scout group,” Van Acker continued.
“One of my earliest childhood memories was standing in the rotunda, looking up, seeing the civil war battle flags (now housed elsewhere, taken out during the restoration) never imagining that one day, I’d have the honor of working here and sharing this building with the other people in Michigan.”
Guide to VisitingSo what should you see in the Capitol? Here are Van Acker’s top five recommendations:
1. “You want to come in and lie on the glass floor of the rotunda (on the first floor) and look up at the dome. Probably nine out of 10 visitors do that, whether they’re a group of fourth graders or 30 adult Japanese tourists.”
2. “Look at House and Senate chambers. They’re beautiful. You can view them from the gallery, but you have to be with a legislator to get on the floor.”
3. “See the old state Supreme Court (which moved out of building in the 1970s and is now the Senate Appropriations Committee room). When this building was first opened, that courtroom was considered to be the most elegant in the nation. The original court bench is still there. The chairs and carpeting are copies.”
4. “Visit the upper rotunda. The Gallery of the Governors on the second and third floors has portraits of 14 of the most recent governors.”
5. “See the Governor’s office. You have to be with a tour guide, and you don’t actually get to go into the office, but you can see it through the doors. It’s one of two rooms done in walnut."
Want more? The grounds are lovely with a national champion catalpa tree surrounded by a short wrought iron fence in front of the building.
Every spring the flower beds are planted with flowers and in a style that would have been popular in the late 1800s.
The “carpet bedding,” maintained by both staff and volunteers, is designed by staff at Michigan State’s horticulture department.
The Capitol is open weekdays with tours every half hour from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Groups of 10 or more should call ahead (517) 373-2353 to make reservations.
Tours take an hour “and it probably goes a little too fast,” Van Acker said.
Bob Gwizdz is a veteran Lansing reporter who has visited the Capitol hundreds of times.
Dave Trumpie is the managing photographer for Capital Gains. He is a freelance photographer and owner of Trumpie Photography.
Photos:
Ceiling of the Capitol rotunda
House of Representatives chamber
Capitol Dome
Matt Van Acker in the Governor's office
Detail of a chandelier
Hallway ceiling
Tour group looking up from the glass floor
All Photographs © Dave Trumpie