Nebraska State Capitol

National Historic Landmark; Working Seat Of Nebraska'S Unicameral Legislature · Lincoln, Nebraska

The Nebraska State Capitol in downtown Lincoln is the seat of the state government and one of the most admired public buildings in the United States. Designed by the New York architect Bertram Goodhue after a national competition, it was built in stages between 1922 and 1932 and paid for as it went, so the state finished it without debt. Instead of the usual copy of the US Capitol dome, Goodhue raised a tower of roughly 400 feet from a low, square base, topped by a gold-tiled dome and a bronze figure of a farmer sowing seed, the Sower. The building is a single work of art: sculpture by Lee Lawrie, carved inscriptions written by the philosopher Hartley Burr Alexander, and mosaic floors and vaults that tell the story of the land, its peoples and the law. Inside sits the only one-house, officially nonpartisan state legislature in the country, the Unicameral, whose debates the public can watch from the gallery. Tours are free, and elevators run to 14th-floor observation decks. It is a working office building, not a museum: expect screening, closed rooms and session crowds.

1445 K Street, Lincoln, Nebraska, 68508, United States

NO OPENING TIME HERE WAS CHECKED. The typical pattern: the building is open to the public on weekdays from roughly 8 am to 5 pm and on weekends and some holidays for shorter hours, roughly 10 am to 5 pm, and is closed on a few major holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Free guided tours usually run on the hour through the day. The traps that ruin a visit are arriving on a holiday closure, finding the observation decks shut for wind or ice, turning up for a debate on a recess day, and losing time at a security check or hunting for parking in session. Confirm current times before relying on them.

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