File:Hawaii State Capitol, Beretania Street, Honolulu, HI - 52220729096.jpg

English: Built between 1965 and 1969, this modernist State Capitol building was designed by Belt, Lemon and Lo of Architects Hawaii Ltd., and John Carl Warnecke and Associates. The building was built in a variant of Modernism known as the “Hawaiian International Style” and draws heavy inspiration from natural and traditional forms found in the Hawaiian islands, including two reflecting pools (presently undergoing renovations) that represent the Pacific Ocean, cone-shaped house and senate chambers that resemble volcanoes, columns shaped like royal palm trees, with eight columns in four rows symbolizing the eight main islands of Hawaii, an open air design that takes advantage of the pleasant climate, and a roof that resembles the shape of a volcano. The building also features vertical concrete and metal ribs to shield its curtain walls from the sun, a top floor that overhangs the rest of the building and creates a distinctive top to the structure, breezeways to the front and rear that connect the central atrium to the street and the walkway adjacent to ‘Iolani Palace, as well as multiple examples of modern art. The distinctive building is a uniquely Hawaiian design, and differs greatly from the Neoclassical designs of most other United States Capitol buildings. The building is a contributing structure in the Hawaii Capitol Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.