With a population of about 120,000, Lansing is far from Michigan’s biggest city. In fact, it is not even our state’s second-largest city. But as our capital and the home of one of Michigan’s world-class universities, Lansing is a big draw for visitors. Smack dab in the middle of Michigan’s mitt (when measuring east and west), the capital city is within easy reach of many of the Lower Peninsula’s population centers.
Michigan State University in East Lansing accounts for a lot of visitors to the Lansing area. And as the state’s capital, the city brings a lot of visitors to the city on business. I’m going to guess that our state capitol building itself is a third major draw for visitors.
Little wonder. The building was first listed on Michigan’s State Register of Historic Places in 1956. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971, and in 1992 our Capitol was named a National Historic Landmark.
Designed by architect Elijah Myers, the Capitol was completed in 1879, and it has served as the center of Michigan’s government ever since. Myers looked to the U.S. Capitol in Washington as a model and fashioned Michigan’s seat of government—and others in the 1870s and 1880s—after this landmark.
The elaborate decorative or architectural painting which adorns the interior spaces of the Michigan State Capitol is extensive and impressive by any standard. A massive five-year restoration which ended in 1992 returned the Capitol to its original splendor.
Now that its ornamentation has been fully restored, the building is widely regarded as among the best surviving examples of Victorian-era painted decorative arts in the United States. Visitors will find the acres (yes, acres) of splendid hand-painted surfaces hard to believe. Tours are available every half hour. For more information, call 517/373-2353. The Capitol is located at 100 Capital Avenue, Lansing, MI 48933.
If touring the Capitol sharpens your appreciation for things historic, you’ll be well prepared to visit Lansing’s Michigan Historical Museum at 702 W. Kalamazoo, Lansing, MI 48915, 517/373-3559. The facility anchors the 12 sites of the Michigan Historical Museum System. Their Web site (www.michiganhistory.org) features a map with all the sites. You can click on any of them for more information.
This flagship museum has more than two dozen permanent galleries on several levels. Come here, and you can walk through a copper mine, an old fashioned single-room schoolhouse, an auto show (vintage 1957), a store from the old S&H Greenstamp era and much more. And as for some of those other sites in the Michigan Historical Museum System? Here’s a sampling:
Civilian Conservation Corps Museum
Fayette Historic Townsite
For Wilkins & Copper Harbor Lighthouse
Hartwick Pines Logging Museum
Iron Industry Museum
In another post, I’ll help you discover a few more treats in surprising Lansing. Hints, you say? Well, how about the Michigan Walk of Fame, the Michigan Women’s Historical Center & Hall of Fame and the R.E. Olds Transportation Museum?
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