The Kentucky State Capitol dome in Frankfort was patterned after L’Hôtel National des Invalides in Paris. That is the famous Parisian landmark where Napoleon and other French war veterans are buried. Kentucky’s terracotta dome rises 215 feet. The Neoclassical and Beaux-Arts style building is adorned with Virginia granite and seventy columns. The capital building was completed in 1909. Kentucky was the 15th state to join the union on June 1, 1792. However, they still refer to themselves as a commonwealth.
