Facts

Year Installed
1921-1940
Materials Marble
Collection
Architecture
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About the Marble

The original Capitol Group buildings (Temple of Justice, Legislative Building, Insurance Building, John A. Cherberg Building, and John L. O’Brien Building) feature elegant marble interiors. Mainly originating from Alaska, the marble used on the interior floors, walls, and staircases of these buildings create a sense of formality and uniformity between them.

There are four types of marble found in the Capitol Group buildings. Three of the four types are found only in the Legislative Building.

Gravina (Tokeen) marble

A close up of a marble wall with tight gray, black, and white patterns.
Gravina (Tokeen) marble

Gravina, or Tokeen, marble comes from Alaska. It is white and gray with grayish blue veins. This marble is used in the main corridors of the Legislative Building, as well as the Temple of Justice, Legislative Building, Insurance Building, John A. Cherberg Building, and John L. O’Brien Building.

In the Legislative Building, the Alaskan marble is laid in different patterns. Some areas use a "book matched" pattern, meaning the marble is arranged to create a mirrored or symmetrical pattern, like book pages. Other areas use traditional rectangle cuts. Typically, the top trim of the wainscots, bases, and borders around the floors are darker pieces of the same marble to accentuate the edges. Some of the floors are laid in patterns of compasses or receding squares of lighter and darker marble.

Formosa marble

A close up of a marble wall with white, brown, red, gray, and orange patterns. The light and dark sections are placed to look like stripes.
Formosa marble

Formosa marble comes from Germany. It is red and gray with white veins. This marble is used only in the Senate Chambers of the Legislative Building.

Escalette marble

A close up of a marble wall with white, pink, violet, red, and brown patterns. The has two identical square sections that reflect each other.
Escalette marble

Escalette marble comes from France. It is pink and white with violet, red, and brown markings. This type of marble is only used in the House Chambers of the Legislative Building.

Breccia violetto marble

A close up of a marble wall with white, gray, and purple swirls in it.
Breccia violetto marble

Breccia violetto marble comes from Italy. It is mainly light purple with fragments of white, red, or brownish purple. This marble is only found in the State Reception Room in the Legislative Building. The marble in the State Reception Room is arranged in patterns that create imagery on the walls, such as butterflies and a seal.

See for yourself

Interested in seeing all the marble types in person? Consider a Legislative Building tour to learn more about the marble and other fascinating architectural features!