Shop MIMOSA's jewelry collection inspired by Louisiana's Old State Capitol
Louisiana's Old State Capitol
Not many cities can claim a castle as their state capitol building, but Baton Rouge can and does. Louisiana's Old State Capitol sits across the street from the mighty Mississippi River and watches that beautiful sunset over the river every day.
Madeline and Louisiana's Old State Capitol
Madeline became well acquainted with Louisiana's Old State Capitol when she worked on the North Boulevard Town Square project in her former life in Landscape Architecture. She drew the building into plans countless times and researched historical images of the building and the site it was nestled into.
She was better acquainted with it than the average Baton Rougean — to say she had an architectural crush on Louisiana's Old State Capitol was an understatement.
Louisiana's Old State Capitol had been around, seen it all, and was still here to tell the story. By the time the folks from the OSC called to see if she'd be interested in creating something for them, Madeline already had a sketchbook full of ideas. The staff at Louisiana's Old State Capitol was kind enough to take her on a behind-the-scenes tour where she was finally looking from the inside out of this place she'd, for years, been getting to know from the outside in.
Here Madeline is doing some site recon at Louisiana's Old State Capitol. Scroll down to the end of this blog post to see more behind-the-scenes photos of the Old State Capitol!
Early on, Madeline knew which elements of Louisiana's Old State Capitol she wanted to capture in the collection. Once she set out to create them, though, it proved to be more challenging than she expected.
She'd design a piece and scrap it or cast another piece and melt it right back down. It turns out architecture is tricky to translate into something wearable, but she was so excited to launch this collection.
Madeline loves this place, no matter what Mark Twain says. ;)
The Jewelry Collection Inspired By Louisiana's Old State Capitol
Our Old State Capitol Jewelry Collection is photographed with Press Relief's "Stained Glass Original Block Print."
Louisiana's Old State Capitol — The Window Collection
The Window pieces in our collection are inspired by the numerous stained glass windows that contribute to the ornate gothic detail of Louisiana's Old State Capitol. These stained glass windows are an iconic feature of the building.
No matter if you're outside looking in or inside looking out, these stained glass windows are mesmerizing.
Shop the Window Cuff
Shop the Window Ring
Shop the Window Pendant
Shop the Window Earrings
Louisiana's Old State Capitol – The Crenellated Ring
The Crenellated Ring in our OSC collection captures the essence of the crenellated parapets at the roofline of Louisiana's Old State Capitol. This is one of the most recognizable features of castle-like structures and has become an easily recognizable addition to the Baton Rouge skyline.
Shop the Crenellated Ring
Louisiana's Old State Capitol — The Quatrefoil Collection
The quatrefoil is an architectural element evident throughout Louisiana's Old State Capitol today.
One place to spot the quatrefoil is some of the building's window designs, but you'll find them hidden in stairwells and the details throughout the OSC.
Shop the Quatrefoil Cuff
Shop the Quatrefoil Earrings
Shop the Quatrefoil Pendant
Louisiana's Old State Capitol — The Turret Pendant
Madeline's favorite architectural elements to come and go are the turrets. At some point, a number of large and small turrets were added to Louisiana's Old State Capitol but were later removed from its exterior. (You can see them on this model of the building!)
Four large cast iron turrets sat on the corners of the building. They were later removed when they began to cause the structure to sink. Several small turrets were added to the corners but were removed once they began to pull away from the building because of their weight.
What's most intriguing is that no one knows where these turrets ended up. Some say they were melted down for the war, or maybe they were sunk into the Mississippi River or maybe, just maybe, they're still alive and well in a dusty old barn somewhere?! Either way, this is a little replica to tell their story.
*This piece has been discontinued and is no longer available for purchase. However, we still wanted to share its story with you :)
Behind the Scenes at Louisiana's Old State Capitol
This beauty more than provides when it comes to story and soul, and we're excited to share that with you! Next time you see Louisiana's Old State Capitol standing there at the edge of the river, you'll have that many more reasons to stare.
Here are just a few more behind-the-scenes photos from Madeline's time visiting Louisiana's Old State Capitol!
The OUTSIDE of the INSIDE of the gorgeous ceiling at Louisiana's Old State Capitol.
150 years of graffiti — The space itself was a hard-to-access alcove that legislature, congressmen, etc. would take breaks in between doing important work way back in the day.
A poster inside Louisiana's Old State Capitol features a historical image of the building.
Published 7/7/21; Last Updated 2/15/23
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