[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 26 (Friday, February 26, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E265]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   HONORING THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SOUTH DAKOTA STATE CAPITOL 
                                BUILDING

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                     HON. STEPHANIE HERSETH SANDLIN

                            of south dakota

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, February 26, 2010

  Ms. HERSETH SANDLIN. Madam Speaker, I would like to take this 
opportunity to honor the 100th Anniversary of the South Dakota State 
Capitol building.
  The South Dakota State Capitol building is located in Pierre, South 
Dakota. The South Dakota State Capitol building was designed by 
Minneapolis architects C.E. Bell and M.S. Detwiler and assembled 
between the years of 1905 and 1910. The building is more than 114,000 
square feet in size and is made up of materials such as native field 
stone, Indiana limestone, and Vermont and Italian marble. The building 
is 161 feet tall, 190 feet wide, and 292 feet long and includes carved 
woodwork and marble, special cast brass, and hand laid stone. In 1977 
the State of South Dakota decided to restore the building back to its 
original 1910 appearance. The restoration was completed in 1989 to the 
original color and style of the walls and drapes.
  Some of the many important architectural features of the South Dakota 
Capitol building include the capitol floor, which is made of terrazzo 
tile, and was created by 66 Italian artists. Terrazzo tile is a type of 
marble flooring that consists of chips of marble meshed together 
through a process of layering which creates multicolored designs and 
patterns. The rotunda, an important feature of the capitol, encompasses 
a large 96-foot dome which can be seen outside the capitol. The inside 
bottom ring of the dome looks like ribbons strung together and joined 
as one to resemble government as eternal in nature. The dome also 
displays the pasque flower, which is the South Dakota state flower. The 
third floor holds both the House of Representatives and Senate floors 
where all the state's laws are debated and voted.
  Over its 100 years of history, the capitol has stood as a testament 
to the beauty and strength that represents South Dakota, and I trust 
that this historic building will continue to remain a landmark for the 
next 100 years.

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