10 years
Construction period
The Capitol was constructed in four phases from 1922 to 1932.
Source: Nebraska State Capitol, “History of the Nebraska Capitol Building”Reference guide · Updated August 10, 2026
Nebraska State Capitol Facts & Figures
A clear, sourced guide to the scale, making, and symbolic programme of Bertram Goodhue’s Nebraska State Capitol and Lee Lawrie’s defining commission.
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At a glance
A Capitol built as a complete work of art.
The Nebraska State Capitol is one of the most ambitious examples of American architectural art. Its scale is easy to notice. Its design is more rewarding when the numbers, sculpture, materials, and civic ideas are read together.
This page gathers frequently cited facts from the Nebraska State Capitol’s official records. Each figure links directly to its source, so writers, students, teachers, and visitors can check the detail in context.
Citeable facts
The Capitol by the numbers.
437 ft
Square base on each side
The low, three-level base is a square 437 feet on each side.
Source: Nebraska State Capitol, “History of the Nebraska Capitol Building”400 ft
Height of the domed tower
A 400-foot domed tower rises from the center of the Capitol’s base.
Source: Nebraska State Capitol, “History of the Nebraska Capitol Building”19 ft
Height of The Sower
Lee Lawrie’s bronze Sower crowns the dome and represents Nebraska’s agricultural heritage.
Source: Nebraska State Capitol, “Lee Lawrie”4
Interior courtyards
The “cross within a square” plan creates four interior courtyards.
Source: Nebraska State Capitol, “History of the Nebraska Capitol Building”3,000 years
Of democracy on the exterior
The exterior stone carvings trace historic events in the evolution of democracy.
Source: Nebraska State Capitol, “History of the Nebraska Capitol Building”8
Virtues in the Rotunda dome
Eight winged figures form a celestial rose of civic and sacred virtues.
Source: Nebraska State Capitol, “Rotunda”112 ft
Height of the Rotunda
The Rotunda stands where the arms of the Capitol’s cross-shaped plan meet.
Source: Nebraska State Capitol, “Rotunda”600,000+ tons
Weight of the building
State records describe the Capitol as an over-600,000-ton building.
Source: Nebraska State Capitol, “100th Anniversary”Under $10 million
Historic completion cost
The building, furnishings, and landscaping came in just under the approved budget.
Source: Nebraska State Capitol, “History of the Nebraska Capitol Building”Why the figures matter
Scale carries the idea.
The Capitol’s measurements describe more than a large public building. The 437-foot base, central tower, and courtyards set up a deliberate sequence between wide civic space and concentrated interior rooms. Lawrie’s sculpture belongs to that sequence, from the Sower above the skyline to low-relief panels, door details, and column capitals close to the visitor.
The building’s official history describes a thematic progression that moves from the north entrance around the exterior and into the interior. The figures in this guide give that progression a useful frame: monumental public scale, a long historical view of democracy, and civic virtues carried into the Rotunda.
For close views of the art itself, explore the archive’s Nebraska State Capitol collection and Gregory Paul Harm’s book Prairie Deco.
Method and sources
How to cite this page.
Figures on this page are drawn from the official website of the Nebraska State Capitol. The source linked beneath each fact is the source for that statement. This guide was last checked on August 10, 2026.
Suggested citation: Lee Lawrie Archive, “Nebraska State Capitol Facts & Figures,” updated August 10, 2026, https://leelawrie.com/nebraska-state-capitol-facts.
- Nebraska State Capitol, “History of the Nebraska Capitol Building”, accessed August 10, 2026.
- Nebraska State Capitol, “100th Anniversary”, accessed August 10, 2026.
- Nebraska State Capitol, “Lee Lawrie”, accessed August 10, 2026.
- Nebraska State Capitol, “Panels and Sculptures”, accessed August 10, 2026.
- Nebraska State Capitol, “Rotunda”, accessed August 10, 2026.