First North Dakota Capitol Building (1930)
Photographer unknownOn September 5, 1883, the territorial capital was moved from Yankton to Bismarck, thus beginning the construction of North Dakotas first capitol (originally the Dakota Territory capitol), designed by Leroy S. Buffington of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
A fire destroyed the building on December 28, 1930. A new capitol was completed in 1934. The Great Depression of the 1930s forced a more pragmatic style of architecture. The new capitol was devoid of the more traditional dome, ornate paintings and sculptures.
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