Hawaii State Capitol

The Hawaii State Capitol features a distinctive open-air design, with a central courtyard that reaches toward the sky and reflecting pools that frame the building like an ocean. Architects John Carl Warnecke and Anstis-Bowers incorporated elements meant to evoke the islands, including columns shaped like royal palm trees. In nineteen sixty-nine, Governor John Burns pushed for this departure from traditional legislative halls. He wanted a structure that brought the natural environment inside, physically connecting the citizens to their government through the open air.