7/24/2008:
On this date, July 24th, in 1931, top architects and designers from across the country submitted 42 plans for an important, new building project in North Dakota. The outcome of this project would define and represent our state for generations to come: a new capitol building.
The “State Capitol Commission” was appointed for this important selection after the original capitol building burned down in December of 1930. Although the loss of the old capitol was a tragedy, it also created a needed opportunity . It was the time of the Great Depression and work was scarce. This building project would not only generate a new image for North Dakota, but also generate jobs for North Dakotans at a time when they were much needed.
The commission, headed by George A. Bangs and Secretary Frank Anders, decided it was important that North Dakota have a voice in the design for its capitol. Ideally a resident of North Dakota should be appointed as chief architect, or at the least, a consulting architect. After deliberating over the 42 proposals, the commission finally selected a design by the Chicago-based firm of Holibard and Root with North Dakota-based architects, Joseph Bell DeRemer and William F. Kurke as project consultants. Holabird and Root were a daring choice for designers of a state capitol. The successful, commercial architects were renowned across the Midwest for their modern, commercial designs for large office buildings and department stores. Up until this point in history, capitol buildings were largely modeled after the ancient temples of Greece and Rome. The classical colonnades and domes were reminiscent of the birth of democracy, symbolizing unfaltering tradition. However, at the turn of the century, the world was quickly changing. Industrialization and the Great War had changed the way many people saw the world. Old and time-honored ideals were questioned and new ways of conceiving the world were embraced. Great sky-scrapers, new dams, and far-reaching motor ways were being built across the nation. With the embrace of modernism, architecture abandoned these old, overly decorative, classical styles for newer, cleaner and more efficient designs. This commission’s choice for North Dakota’s new capitol reflected these new political and social ideas of the time.
North Dakota’s state capital remains unique to this day. Completed in late 1934, with its 18 stories towering over the prairie, it is a mixture of classical and modern design.
Written by: Maria Witham
Anamoose Progress July 24, 1931
The North Dakota State Capitol: Architecture and History, ed. Larry Remele