North Dakota
North Dakota Capitol Christmas Display Turns 90 This Year
(Photo by Kyle Martin/For the North Dakota Monitor)
(North Dakota Monitor) – For 90 years, the North Dakota Capitol’s window lit Christmas tree has been an annual holiday staple.
The Christmas tree design in the Capitol windows first appeared in 1935, said Sarah Walker, head of reference services for the State Historical Society of North Dakota, who has researched the display.
Construction on North Dakota’s Capitol was completed in 1934, replacing the Capitol building that was destroyed by fire in 1930. Walker’s research from newspaper stories showed that architects and the superintendent of the Capitol Commission discussed using the tower to display designs.
The first Capitol lighting display was in 1934 as construction on the building was wrapping up, Walker said. It depicted a cross in the windows to commemorate Easter.
Later that year, the star of Bethlehem, containing 120 lights and measuring about 16 feet in diameter, was the first Christmas decoration for the building, although it was affixed to the top of the building and not displayed in the windows, she said.