Colorado State Capitol

The seat of Colorado's legislature stands on a rise at the eastern edge of downtown Denver, its dome sheathed in gold leaf mined from the state's own mountains. Completed in 1901 in a Neoclassical style, the granite building was modeled loosely on the national Capitol in Washington. A step on the west stairway is engraved to mark exactly one mile above sea level, a favorite photo stop. Visitors can climb to a viewing gallery beneath the dome for a panorama of the Front Range and tour chambers finished in rare rose onyx.