Photo: Daniel Schwen License: 1

The Illinois capitol is the tallest non-skyscraper capitol, even exceeding the height of the United States Capitol in Washington, DC. The building itself is shaped like a Latin cross aligned to the major points of the compass.

The current building is the sixth capitol to serve the state since its entry into the United States in 1818.

The capitol dome is plated in zinc to provide a silver facade which does not weather. The interior of the dome features a plaster frieze painted to resemble bronze, which illustrates points in Illinois history, and stained glass windows.