The Illinois State Capitol was primarily designed by Alfred Piquenard, the same architect as the Iowa State Capitol. Construction lasted from 1868 to 1888. Lighting fixtures were supplied by the Mitchell-Vance Company, which had taken first place at the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia, PA and was the premier supplier of institutional-scale gas lighting during this period. The original House Chamber gasoliers (center photo), were later modified to be electric, flush-mounted fixtures exhibiting the bottom tiers of the chandeliers only.

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Using historic photos, SLALCO redesigned and remanufactured the fixtures to their original design and scale. An "uplight" system (hidden from view in the body of the fixture) was designed and installed on a separate circuit to wash the ornate, gilded ceiling with light. The entire system is dimmable so that the chandeliers can emulate their gaslight originals. Fixtures on the Rostrum and the Chamber wall sconces were also replicated from historic photos. Since there were no historic photos of the original corridor lighting, a family of fixtures was designed to match the style of the grand crystal gasoliers.

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Historic Lighting Consultant: Gary H. Behm, I.E.S.

House Chambers Lighting Consultant: Randy Burkett Lighting Design

West Wing Lighting Design: Gary Steffy Lighting Designs

Project Architect: Vinci-Hamp Architects

2008 American Institute of Architects
Honor Award for Interior Architecture