Iowa
 | |
| Location | Plateau of States |
|---|---|
| Construction | |
| Construction Cost | $43,995 ($1.33 million in 2021) |
| Architecture | |
| Architect | Proudfoot & Bird, of Des Moines |
| Dimensions | 102' x 148' |
Iowa's State building was the first State structure to be constructed on the Plateau of States, and combined the old and new features of the Iowa City and Des Moines capital buildings. Some have called it the 'Academy of Music', for the musical inclination of former Governor Larabee has done much to bring it that reputation.
Description[edit | edit source]
There are twenty mechanical stuffed songbirds which so carefully simulate the notes of the feathered songsters of the field as to deceive the unwary.
Each end of the building was a semi-circular colonnade two stories high; promenades surrounded the building at the ground level and the second story level 55 feet from the ground. Across the front were superb bronze figures of Sherman, Henderson, Farragut, and Dodge.
Six big Corinthian columns supporting a classic pediment form the main entrance, and the rotunda, 100 feet high, is surrounded on the second floor by an observation gallery.
The interior showcased a great pipe organ given as a gift by ex-Governor Larrabee. Beside it sat a Conover piano. It is due to these facilities, joined to the two other Conovers, one of them a grand in the assembly hall, that there were so many concerts which crowded the building.
The central dome was made of cathedral glass.
the comfortable library with its elaborate decorations, its great fireplaces and its bookcase filled with the works of more than three hundred Iowa authors, and its music cabinet containing only the sheets of Iowa composers; all show taste and the intent to make it distinctly monumental of the State.
Other room highlighted gambling paraphernalia such as dice, inlaid cards, etc.
The main floor consisted of a had a recital hall in the center, and a reception room.
Like many of the second floors of the States Buildings, there were rooms for conferences, suites of apartments for the Governor, the hostess and other dignitaries as well as a recital hall. In the room of the executive commissioners, was a splendid portrait in oil of Leslie M. Shaw, Secretary of the Treasury. In the reception room is a bust by an Iowa sculptor of Governor Cummins, the State's chief executive.
After the Fair[edit | edit source]
After the fair, the building was reportedly relocated to Iowa as asylum for treatment of alcoholics.
