US State Capitols Scored: Episode Two

[@anubiset20]

So, my computer crashed while I was writing this all the first time. Let's try it again! Illinois: 9 or 10/10 I really enjoy this style. Even though the grounds seem rather small, they still seem very nice Indiana: 9/10 Another that I quite like. The styling is quite regal, especially when compared to it's surroundings. I love the ceiling as well. Can't believe it was actually under budget. Iowa: 10/10 Fight me AJM. I LOVE this style. It reminds me a bit of late Byzantine architecture, also a bit of the Hungarian Parliament Building (due to the dome and hue of the building itself, likely) Kansas: 4/10 I don't know how much you were paid off by the Topeka Tourism Board, but I hope it was a lot. It's mediocre at best, hodgepodge at worst. Only reason it's not a 3/10 is that you could probably see the entire state from that 5th floor, seeing as the state is so flat. Kentucky: 5/10 I could actually be argued up to a 6/10 because it has a very clean look and for the grounds, but it's flat, I agree. Sort of a "run-of-the-mill" capital. Louisiana: (Awesome job with the intro music!) 2/10 "Different" doesn't mean "good"! This one is ugly as sin. Bottom looks like a flat mausoleum and I've never liked art deco to begin with. Maine: 6/10 It's inoffensive. Like Kentucky, it's the sort of capital that's just a little samey. It pops a bit more than Kentucky though, and I love the greenery of Maine, so +1 point. Maryland: 8/10 Pure history right here. Very nice. Cool tidbit about the nailess dome too. Massachusetts: 3/10 Alright, I know I called Kansas' capital a hodgepodge, but DANG. This one is all over the place. Singular pieces of architecture look very nice, but together, terrible. Michigan: 4/10 The building itself is a nothing-burger from most sides and the grounds don't seem great, but a bonus point for the dome architecture. Would look excellent... on a different building. Minnesota: 9/10 I think that if there was a bit more color to the dome, this one would be 10/10. Great style, great grounds, great motifs and side domes, well done. (I think I actually like the granite into marble) Mississippi: 7/10 So, if I'm starting at base 5/10 there's a bonus point for the shape of the wings, and a point for the side domes. Well done, but nothing too spectacular, imo. Missouri: 10/10 This one is incredibly nice! I would almost take a point or two off for the proximity to the railroad, but the building is both clean and intricate at the same time. A very hard combination to pull off, but well played to Missouri! And there's the promised response. Thank you so much for this video! I quite enjoyed it.

[@AJMSTUDIOSvideo]

Why must you make such good points all the time? Lol! Since you wanted me to respond in full, I will. Illinois and Indiana we are pretty straight forward and agree on this. I agree with your points. Illinois as well does a great job at making a tall dome look good. Something I critiqued in previous episodes saying I didn't like tall domes that didn't match. Illinois does it right having a taper effect with smaller "towers" at the edges. It just looks really good. Indiana's capitol reminds me of a grand ole' city hall or classical train station from the 1860s. Again, we agree. Iowa. You want me to fight you? I don't think that would go well, lol! You have a lot of passion for this building and I cannot deny how pretty it is. I will admit after reading my script then coming back to edit the video, I wish I could have changed the scores on some of these, but it's so hard to find a baseline to base everything off of. If I could redo it, I would bump Iowa maybe to an 8. It's a beautiful baroque or renaissance style. I can totally see the Hungarian Parliament or Byzantine influence you are talking about. I didn't think of that, but you are spot on! Great points! Kansas and the Topeka tourism board did not pay me AND because I would love them too, I am still going to say it deserves better than what you say! I agree, the lower portion is pretty forgettable, but that dome is one of a kind. It's beautiful. Kentucky we seem to agree with, pretty forgettable in many ways. It's all uniform in one color, no depth, no variation. The grounds are beautiful though. We're calling Baton Rouge and hopping to Louisiana! Lol! Thanks for the compliment. I am shocked, I thought people would love this and I wouldn't! You are right about the lower floors looking boring, forgettable, and like a mausoleum. I like art deco... but usually only on high-rises. I mean there is good art deco in low building form such as Miami's South Beach. But art deco in my mind excels when looking at things like the Chrysler Building, the Empire State Building, and the awesome and lesser known American International Building. They are amazing structures and I could say this tower looks better than it's base. I can't rate it a two though. Maine we somewhat agree. Maine's a beautiful state but it's a nice enough building too. Maryland's is unique indeed. I wouldn't build my capitol this way if you gave me the choice, but because of it's history and unique setting, it works and earned it's score. Massachusetts I would score lower than I did. Like you said, there are singular design elements that would look good on a single building, but they have like five "singular elements" thrown on to a single building, each of which would require your full attention. When they are all on there at once, it's an ugly mess. I would rescore this to a 4 or 3. Michigan. I am glad I am not the only one who didn't like Lansing's capitol building. I can't argue with your good points on Minnesota's State Capitol. The more that I look at the stone and marble transition, the more I regret saying that. It looks good. I still would keep the same score though. Mississippi. Your points are all good, which seems to be a running theme here. Like the Illinois Capitol, Mississippi's capitol has "small towers" as you work down the main dome, which really ads to this building. If they were not there, I couldn't give it as high a score as I did. I think a 9-10 is a safe score. Also the nice smaller 'rotunda's on the outside and curved exterior wings. It isn't the biggest dome or building, but it all flows together nicely in a rather not-so-nice city. Missouri. This one is a sleeper indeed. At first you easily think this is like so many others and maybe gets a 7, but it's when you start looking at the details that it keeps growing on you. Great response. This is an underrated capitol building for sure and how it tapers the dome with the roofing before it hits the wings is a nice tough. The statues at the entry way and the staircase going in, all icing on the cake! Glad you enjoyed the video, Anubiset20, and thanks for the excellent thought out response and engagement!

[@anubiset20]

@@AJMSTUDIOSvideo Hey! Thanks for the long form response! It was funny, at first I thought Missouri's capital was not great, but upon watching it on a larger screen, I realized all the small things that were really, very nice about it. It also didn't help that the Google Earth images of that capital were on the level of PS2 graphics. Climbed from mid tier to #2 on my list from this video! #1 being Iowa and.... toss up between Illinois and Minnesota for 3rd. Thanks again for making this video! Keep up the good work!

[@anubiset20]

Alright, I'm not even at my computer, but I already know that you and I are going to need a talk, Mr. AJM. Specifically about the Mississippi and Missouri capital buildings lol

[@AJMSTUDIOSvideo]

Uh oh. Should I be worried? I think I should be worried! ;-)

[@shakirdanish1827]

👍

[@Dispatcher-kv2im]

Have you ever considered doing a comparison of the insides? Great video series by the way thank you!⭐️🇺🇸

[@AJMSTUDIOSvideo]

Thank you for watching and the comment! I have thought about that, but at this time I am sticking to the exteriors. Interiors are harder to find quality imagery of. But I would certainly love to sometime in the future!

[@Dispatcher-kv2im]

@@AJMSTUDIOSvideo I totally understand and that makes since. Thank you for the series and content it’s very much appreciated and I also appreciate you getting back to me. Do you by chance have an estimated completion date for the final video in the US Capitol series?🇺🇸⭐️ enjoy your evening and keep up the great work.

[@AJMSTUDIOSvideo]

@cher-kv2im No estimated date yet. But I am already working on the next US State Capitol building video. I think I have two other videos that will come out first though. But for sure, you will see more! But I am really slow compared to most KZbin channel's because I work full time plus do part time work for another major project I work on. It leaves me very little time to work on videos, haha.

[@Dispatcher-kv2im]

@@AJMSTUDIOSvideo yeah I completely understand well I’ll be here and thanks for the videos I appreciate them!🇺🇸⭐️

[@anubiset20]

Currently watching on my phone, so I'll have to get back to ya with my own rankings. I think we're going to differ quite an amount.

[@GabrielJ.Fontenot]

Just found you, and I’m bingeing all of your content! I love your details and style. Keep at it

[@AJMSTUDIOSvideo]

You just made my week! Thank you so much!

[@rmdvto]

Nice vid, my personal fav is Louisiana but I have a weak spot for Art Deco skyscrapers. Especially compared to the standard neo-classical pediment & dome archetype of U.S. state capitols. The massing and setbacks remind me of the Cathedral of Learning in Pittsburgh (neo-gothic), one of my fav buildings in the U.S. Would love to see this for Canadian provinces & territories! Ontario, Quebec and BC have absolutely gorgeous capitol buildings!

[@AJMSTUDIOSvideo]

Thank you so much for the response. I totally plan on doing Canadian provincial legislative halls as well as possibly Mexico. The Cathedral of Learning building always reminded me of a structure that would come straight out of Gotham City! It's a fascinating building. I love art deco, but I seem to enjoy it more when it's on a high-rise compared to a low-rise building. But there always exceptions. :)

[@ToadTendo]

Is there going to be a part 3 to the USA capital series? I am really enjoying this & hope you end up doing all 50!

[@AJMSTUDIOSvideo]

Yes! There definitely will be. I have a new "Capitols Scored" episode coming out this Saturday, but slightly different. I plan to finish the US State Capitols in the early part of 2023. :)

[@ToadTendo]

@@AJMSTUDIOSvideo Cool! can't wait to see!

[@kevinmetzger4150]

Can’t wait to see episode 3 & 4

[@AJMSTUDIOSvideo]

I'm behind schedule a bit, but I am editing Episode 3 right now. It should be the next video I release! :)

[@vidcas1711]

@@AJMSTUDIOSvideo Just found your channel, and I can’t wait for your thoughts on the Wisconsin Capitol and it’s setting in Madison! I always have to wait so long when state involved lists are done alphabetically lol.

[@AJMSTUDIOSvideo]

@@vidcas1711 Welcome! Thrilled to have a new viewer. Spoiler: Wisconsin's capitol layout within the city is pretty awesome! (So is the city flag reflecting that).

[@owen8681]

Cheerful, fun and informative vlog. Keep up the good work.

[@AJMSTUDIOSvideo]

I appreciate it. I will.

[@shakirdanish1827]

Awesome content

[@shakirdanish1827]

Good job 👍

[@BBF32]

Awesome good work

[@billofwrights7695]

When I was in St. Paul, I had trouble distinguishing the dome of the State Capitol from the dome of the nearby Cathedral of Saint Paul.

[@GraphicDesigningWorkByFahim]

very very nice vedio

[@GraphicDesigningWorkByFahim]

nice

[@kennethhamlett10h]

I very much enjoyed your ratings of the state capitols. The photography is beautiful & the videos give viewers 360° views, so I think the video quality & information provided is great. As you noted, ratings are always subjective, so I do not agree with some of your ratings. In most cases, our ratings were close, just a one point difference. But, in a few cases, you seemed to either be inconsistent or you seemed to let other factors affect the rating. The most notable example was Louisiana. I also think Huey Long was an autocratic & fascist & if I had lived in the state, the graft & cost would have angered me. But, if I put that aside, it is an impressive, beautifully proportioned building, with a lovely & appropriate setting. Your score was far too low & seemed to relate to Long & scandal instead of the completed building. I thought your narrative & score for Maryland were a mismatch. That capitol should also have been given at least a point for its historical significance. I have visited Annapolis & the fact that the capitol & the city are all in the same style & built with the same materials, giving you that sense of stepping back in history, is thrilling. The building is beautiful. Your 10s all had the same look & I think a 10 for Maryland or Louisiana (or Minnesota) would have shown an openness to variety. Your score for Alabama was too high. The building is bland & boring. You were understandably kind to the Hawaii structure, but it is an unattractive building that even looks like it was not built with quality materials. If Missouri would build a nice promenade over that railroad track & along the Missouri River, even if just for a few blocks, they could easily claim the top prize for the nation. The various sight lines of that structure are really impressive. The architect did a great job.

[@robertw0136]

from michigan and i can admit i’m disappointed in our capitol building BUT no way it deserves a 4 when alaskas bland office building gets a 6

[@robertw0136]

also wish they would make the tan color white to match the dome if possible 🙃

[@AJMSTUDIOSvideo]

Lol! Agreed! I would definitely change some of my earlier scores. I was being too optimistic early on and eventually found my center line. Haha!

[@robertw0136]

great videos though, especially the ones on city flags! id love to see michigans flag and seals redesigned one day 🥲

[@AJMSTUDIOSvideo]

@@robertw0136 I really appreciate that. :) There are many state and city flags I would love to see redesigned, but at the same time, if everything looked modern and sleek, nothing would look different from one another either. Maybe someday. ;)

[@louieharperspring]

i hate you so much for the minnesota one, its gotta be 11/10 LIKE WHAT

[@AJMSTUDIOSvideo]

Ouch. "Hate" is such a strong word. :(

[@louieharperspring]

Sorry! I just need to make sure my words are out there @@AJMSTUDIOSvideo

[@Fetch26291]

Massachusetts has nice state house. However, Boston City Hall is one of the ugliest buildings in the USA.