State Houses: America's 50 State Capitol Buildings

by Susan W. Thrane

A magnificent celebration of America's state capitol buildings. These glorious buildings are, in the author's words, "the homes of history," where laws are passed, where democracy is enacted, where history is written. Though each state capitol bears some similarity to the other forty-nine, each in its architecture and design reflects uniquely the pride of its state, both culturally and historically. For this unprecedented project, photographer Tom Patterson traveled to each of America's fifty state capitals to capture the architectural beauty and dignity of its capitol building in glorious large-format color images. Writer Susan W. Thrane reveals fascinating details about each capitol building's The book also discusses important moments in the history of each building and the state itself,

Genres: Architecture, Nonfiction

336 pages, Hardcover

First published September 12, 2005

Reviews

[Kate Picher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm working my way across the country to visit state capitols. So far, the Nebraska State Capitol is my #1.

If you want to visit the c as pistols, this book is filled with beautiful photos and the story of the architecture.

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a nice book that I have been reading on and off between a number of other titles. After a basic introduction comparing state houses, each chapter is basically a few pages dedicated to text and beautiful photographs highlighting the history, design, and decor of all fifty capitol buildings for the states. It was really interesting to learn about how they were started and why certain design and decor decisions were made.

It is actually a fairly quick (if physically heavy) read. The pages are nice, glossy paper that nicely shows off the included photographs nicely. Not only are the buildings highlighted, but often the origin of each of the states is highlighted as it defines how the cities within the state was selected to be the governmental seat.

I really enjoyed reading this one, and I just ran across it while walking through the library one day. It is a nice read for anyone into American history.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully done coffee table book with several pages devoted to each state's capitol. The photography is excellent quality and compliments the narrative detailing numerous architectural details (with many terms with which I'm not familiar). Also included are historical details of the states and important legislation enacted in the capitol buildings. Some of these buildings are truly magnificent while others are amazingly ugly, dark and gloomy - both inside and out.

A lovely book for anyone interested in American history and architecture.