After the original Capitol building burned down in 1930, a great deal of thought and effort went into constructing the new Capitol. Very different from the domed buildings most states were accustomed to, North Dakota wanted to rebuild something great and ultra-usable.
Surprisingly, even the façade of the building became usable, as light displays were created in the windows. The earliest known display appeared before the building was completed or occupied. In March of 1934, the Bismarck Tribune reported that “many Bismarck citizens were impressed with the decorative possibilities of the new capitol building” when it displayed a cross on its face. The effect was created by blanketing certain windows and turning on lights on selected floors. While experimental in nature, it was also described as a “gesture toward the Easter theme.”
After that, the building was used to celebrate holidays and mark conventions and other events. That April, large letters C and E were displayed after the Christian Endeavor Union met at the Presbyterian Church in Bismarck for its 39th convention. When a Kiwanis convention was held there in August 1935, a giant K appeared on the building. Then, in November 1935, a “double-barred cross, insignia of the National Anti-Tuberculosis Association,” was displayed to mark the beginning of the Christmas seal-selling season. This display also marked the first use of color and was “created by lighting only certain windows and illuminating the main part of the cross with red.”
The best-known display, however, is the red-and-green Christmas tree that adorns the side of the Capitol each year. The earliest version of that tree appeared in December 1935. But on this date in 1934, the display was something completely different. The Capitol was transformed to resemble a “Gothic cathedral,” outlined by allowing light to shine only through certain windows. The true centerpiece was a “five-pointed star, poised on the very top of the structure,” built by Capitol workmen and placed above the building. Made of 120 electric lights and measuring 16 feet in diameter at its inner circle, the star had no formal appropriation, so some of the lighting was loaned by the local electric company. Still, it must have been a sight to see. The Bismarck Tribune proclaimed that the “‘Star of Bethlehem’ shines on Bismarck.”
Dakota Datebook by Sarah Walker
Sources:
The Bismarck Tribune, December 20, 1934, p1
The Bismarck Tribune, March 29, 1934, p7
The Bismarck Tribune, April 21, 1934, p1
Special Edition, Bismarck Tribune, April 7. 1934
Bismarck Tribune, November 30, 1935, p7
Bismarck Tribune, August 26, 1935, p5
https://blog.statemuseum.nd.gov/blog/state-capitol-building-light-displays
Report of Board of State Capitol Commissioners North Dakota to the Governor and Legislature, January 1, 1935
Sarah M. Walker, Head of Reference Services
North Dakota State Archives
