Illinois State Capitol Building, Springfield Postcard

A statue of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th United States president, stands in front of the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield, Illinois. Lincoln practiced law in Springfield for several years. The current capitol building is the sixth to serve as capitol since Illinois became a part of the United States in 1818. The capitol is in the architectural style of the French Renaissance. Ground was first broken for the new capitol on March 11, 1869, and it was completed twenty years later. The capitol building is on old Route 66. At 361 feet high, it is the tallest nonskyscraper capitol in the country, topped only by the modern-style capitols of Louisiana and Nebraska. It also is the highest — but not the tallest — building in Sangamon County. The Hilton Springfield is taller but is on lower ground.