Utah State Capitol

Utah State Capitol Review

Utah's legislature meets just once a year, for 45 days from January to March. Otherwise the state's grandiose capitol can feel a little like a granite-and-marble ghost town. In 1912, after the state reaped $800,000 in inheritance taxes from the estate of Union Pacific Railroad president Edward Harriman, work began on the Renaissance Revival structure that tops Capitol Hill. From the exterior steps you get a marvelous view of the entire Salt Lake Valley. In the rotunda beneath the 165-foot-high dome, a series of murals, commissioned as part of the WPA project during the Depression, depicts the state's history. Don't miss the gold-leafed State Reception Room, the original state supreme court, and the Senate gallery. Free guided tours (30 to 45 minutes) are offered weekdays on the hour between 9 and 4.