September 2025. After Oscar came to London in June 2024 and I joined him there for a day, I’m now going to his hometown of Denver in Colorado. My second trip to the United States in 2025, after visiting my uncle and aunt in Wilmington, North Carolina. No, Denver is is not on foreign tourists’ mind when travelling to the US. But that doesn’t bother me. Quite the contrary. 

On Tuesday I was on my own, as Oscar had to work. So I decided to take a free tour of the the Colorado State Capitol Building, located at 200 East Colfax Avenue. It’s the home of the Colorado General Assembly and the offices of the Governor of Colorado, Lieutenant Governor of Colorado, and the Colorado State Treasurer. 

I love visiting parliament buildings. As a schoolboy, I visited the Palace of the Nation, the Federal Parliament of Belgium. 

Later in life I visited:

• the Palace of Westminster in London, United Kingdom; 
• Old Parliament House and (current) Parliament House in Canberra, Australia; 
• the Hungarian Parliament Building in Budapest, Hungary; 
• the iconic Palace of the Parliament of Palace of the People in Bucharest, Romania; 
• Old Parliament House in Athens, Greece, which now houses the National Historical Museum; 
• the Bundestrag in the Reichstag in Berlin, Germany; 
• the Casa de la Vall in Andorra la Vella; 
• the European Parliament in Brussels. 

In the United States, I visited the United States Capitol in Washington, DC; the California State Capitol in Sacramento; and the Virginia State Capitol in Richmond. 

Just to say, the Colorado State Capitol is not my first parliament building. 

The Colorado State Capitol

The Colorado State Capitol was designed to evoke the grandeur of the United States Capitol. Created by architect Elijah E. Myers, it was built in the 1890s from Colorado white granite and officially opened in November 1894. Its most distinctive feature is the gilded dome, first adorned with real gold leaf in 1908 to commemorate the Colorado Gold Rush. 

Situated within Denver’s Civic Center area, the building was recognised as part of the Civic Center Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 and was later included in the Denver Civic Center National Historic Landmark District in 2012.

Between 2001 and 2009, a major safety upgrade project was undertaken with funding from the Colorado State Historical Fund. Designed by Fentress Architects, the improvements introduced modern safety measures such as enclosed stair towers, carefully integrated into the historic architecture. Today, the Capitol remains a highlight of many architectural tours of Denver.

Standing slightly elevated above downtown, the Capitol marks the beginning of the Capitol Hill district. Its main entrance hall rises 180 feet (55 metres) to the top of the dome, a height equivalent to an 18-storey building. 

The building is also central to Denver’s identity as the ‘Mile High City‘. Outside the west entrance, the fifteenth step is inscribed with the words “One Mile Above Sea Level” denoting the city’s official elevation of 5,280 feet (1,609 metres). Over time, further measurements were taken: in 1969 Colorado State University students established a marker on the eighteenth step, and in 2003, modern surveying identified the thirteenth step as being most accurate, where a third marker was placed. From these steps, visitors can watch the sun setting behind the Rocky Mountains.

The building’s superstructure was constructed with granite from the Aberdeen Quarry near Gunnison, Colorado, with around 280,000 cubic feet (7,900 m³) or 24,000 tons extracted for its construction. 

The interior makes extensive use of Colorado Rose Onyx, a rare rose-coloured marble quarried near Beulah, Colorado. The amount incorporated into the Capitol consumed the entire known supply. White Yule Marble from quarries near Marble, Colorado, was also employed, particularly for the floors, where patterns in the stone include likenesses resembling George Washington and the socialite Molly Brown (of Titanic fame).

Inside, stained glass windows depict people and events significant to Colorado’s history. The halls are lined with portraits of every U.S. president, a tradition begun by Lawrence Williams, who painted portraits from George Washington through George W. Bush. Sarah A. Boardman later took over, painting Barack Obama as well as the original portrait of Donald Trump. 

After Trump criticised her work, it was replaced by a new portrait created by Arizona artist Vanessa Horabuena. The portrait of President Joe Biden was painted by Colorado artist Kirsten Savage.

One of the contractors responsible for the Capitol’s construction was William Douglas Richardson of Illinois, president of the W. D. Richardson Construction Company. Richardson was a prominent figure in American building projects of the era and was closely connected to the corporate network of Jacob Bunn and John Whitfield Bunn.

Colorado General Assembly

The Colorado General Assembly is the state legislature of Colorado, established by the 1876 state constitution as a bicameral body composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Its statutes are codified in the Colorado Revised Statutes, while the session laws are published in the Session Laws of Colorado. Unlike many other states, Colorado grants no legislative authority to its lieutenant governor, who has no tie-breaking power in the legislature.

The first session of the General Assembly convened between 1 November 1876 and 20 March 1877. For many years, sessions were held biennially until 1950, when they became annual. Until 1974, the lieutenant governor presided as President of the Senate. Following a constitutional amendment that year, the Senate gained the right to elect one of its own members as President.

The Colorado Constitution defines the General Assembly’s authority under the separation of powers doctrine, dividing state power among the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. Article V vests legislative power in the General Assembly, while reserving to the people the right to propose, approve, or reject laws and constitutional amendments through initiatives and referendums.

The General Assembly consists of 65 representatives and 35 senators. Representatives serve two-year terms, while senators serve four-year terms, with elections staggered so that half the Senate is contested every two years. House members may serve up to four consecutive terms, while senators are limited to two consecutive terms, though both may return after a four-year break. 

General elections take place on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of even-numbered years, with the entire House and roughly half the Senate elected at each contest.

Most candidates are nominated through their political party’s caucus system, requiring at least 30% delegate support to secure a place on the primary ballot, though petition access is also available. Minor party and unaffiliated candidates may reach the ballot by different routes, including petition. Vacancies are usually filled by political party committees rather than special elections. Appointed senators who serve the first half of a term must stand for election at the next even-year general election to complete the term.

The General Assembly also appoints the state auditor, as well as members of various independent boards and commissions. It has a notable history of representation, becoming the first state legislature to elect women in 1894, when Clara Cressingham, Carrie C. Holly, and Frances S. Klock won seats in the House of Representatives. Helen Robinson followed in 1912, becoming one of the first women in the nation to serve in a state Senate.

Legislative sessions begin annually no later than the second Wednesday in January and last no more than 120 days. Special sessions can be called by the governor or by two-thirds of the members of each chamber, though these are rare. 

Strict rules govern the introduction of bills, with legislators typically limited to five per session, except in specific cases such as appropriations bills or resolutions. Most bills include a ‘safety clause’, allowing them to take effect on 1 July after the session. Without this clause, bills are subject to possible referendum and typically take effect in August.

Unlike the U.S. Senate, Colorado’s legislature does not allow filibusters, nor does the lieutenant governor preside or vote. The General Assembly reviews executive branch rules annually, often overturning some. It also holds subpoena power, though this is rarely used, and has no role in judicial appointments, though it must authorise the creation of new judgeships. Many state programmes undergo “sunset review,” meaning they expire unless reauthorised by the legislature.

The state budget is central to the Assembly’s work. Each year, the governor submits a proposed budget to the Joint Budget Committee, which then drafts the ‘Long Bill‘ containing appropriations. The House and Senate alternate in introducing and reviewing this bill. Colorado law requires voter approval for major debt, tax increases, or changes to constitutional spending limits, while also mandating certain spending levels for K–12 education. The governor has line-item veto power over appropriations.

The General Assembly is supported by about 230 year-round staff and 115 session-only staff, organised into categories including member, administrative, committee, communications, leadership, and legal services. Most staffers are non-partisan, with the exception of those in communications and leadership roles. Staffing and expenditures have declined since 2003.

Currently, the legislature is controlled by the Democratic Party, which also holds the governor’s office. In the 2018 elections, Democrats expanded their majority in the House and gained control of the Senate. By 2022, Democrats had strengthened their majority further, securing a supermajority in the House. As of the 74th session, women hold the majority of seats in the General Assembly for the first time in Colorado’s history.

The present makeup includes 23 Democrats and 12 Republicans in the Senate, and 43 Democrats, 21 Republicans, and one vacancy in the House. The 75th session began on 8 January 2025, with James Coleman serving as Senate President and Julie McCluskie as Speaker of the House.

A visit

Tours of the Colorado State Capitol are free and easy to access. While I had to go through airport-style security, I did not have to show my passport or register my name. Everyone was so welcoming and friendly.

The tour itself is relatively short: one hour. A guide shows us some key places in the building and explains us how the Capitol came to be. 

Another, younger guide, took us to the dome for magnificent views on Denver. 

So? 

I love these visits and I would recommend you made time for a visit too. 

Colorado 2025

1. REVIEW | Lufthansa Airbus A380 in business class from Munich to Denver, return.
2. DENVER | RiNo Art District – Coors Field – Lower Downtown – Union Station.
3. REVIEW | Catbird Hotel in Denver’s RiNo Art District.
4. REVIEW | Forney Transportation Museum in Denver.
5. DENVER | 16th Street Mall.
6. COLORADO | Boulder ft. Chautauqua Trail, Boulder-Dushanbe Teahouse and Pearl Street Mall.