Here’s a fun fact: if Memorial Stadium in Lincoln were to be counted as a separate city on game day, it would rank Number 3 in Nebraska. It just goes to show how much Nebraskans love their Cornhusker football. The capitol building, which punctuates the plains like an exclamation point (or, some say, an erection), is also an attention-getter. I proclaim it to be one of the most unusual capitols—not necessarily in a good way—in the country.
Nebraska State Capitol
Here’s something else that’s unusual, another fun fact: Nebraska is the only state in the country with a single-chamber legislature. No House or Senate here, just the Unicameral (although members are known as Senators). I don’t know if, ultimately, this is a good thing or a bad thing, but I did get the sense when I was there that Nebraskans have a sense of pride about their Unicam.
So this unusual legislative body meets in this unusual building that rises up from the prairie. I felt like I was in a cathedral, or a vast, 1920’s-era train station. Not being a student of art or architecture, I couldn’t really appreciate all of its elaborate features… but believe me, they’re there. If you’re into all that stuff, this place is a feast for your senses. Oh sure, I got the Native American/agricultural/”we’re simple, salt-of-the-earth people” symbolism. But I found it a bit overdone in parts. The building was built between 1922 and 1932, and it definitely has the distinctive feel of that time between WWI and WWII… kind of dark and cold. But kudos for its originality. I’m not sure if the observation area at the top is still open—I was there before 9/11—but if it is, I recommend a trip up.
Lincoln is a heckuva place for the capital, all the way on the eastern part of the state. True, that’s where most of the state’s population is, but you have to feel sorry for the poor legislator from Scottsbluff, at the western end. This senator lives closer to three other state capitals (Denver, Cheyenne and Pierre) than he does to his own. (That is my final fun fact for this essay.) I found it to be a pleasant enough, if unremarkable, college town. It’s a bit more understated than, say, Madison or Columbus. I’d be up for a return visit, and when I do, I’ll do more than just drive through Omaha, which is only an hour away. Omaha is one of those places, like Oklahoma City or Des Moines, that are surprisingly interesting and cosmopolitan, despite what snobs on the east or west coasts may think.
Tags: Lincoln, Nebraska, Nebraska State Capitol
