Looking west from the Iowa State Capitol, Des Moines, Iowa

Looking west from the steps of the Iowa State Capitol building with several men in uniform on the left and the city of Des Moines in the background. The building was completed in 1886 at a cost of $3,296,256, and, at the time, was the only five-domed capitol in the country. The dome of the capitol is gilded with tissue-paper thin sheets of pure 23-karat gold with a protective layer sealing the gold from the weather, and the top of its finial peak is 275 feet (84 m) above the ground. From its opening during 1884 until 1924, it was the tallest building in Des Moines, and likely the entire state. Located at 1007 East Grand Avenue, Des Moines, Polk County, Iowa, and listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Title supplied by cataloger.