BISMARCK, N.D. (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.
Walker said it’s unclear from her research if the Christmas tree was red and green when the display first appeared in 1935. But she found a 1936 Bismarck Tribune article that described a red and green pattern.
“It’s such a cool tradition, and it’s so cool to think about how long it’s been going on,” Walker said. “I have not heard of this anywhere else.”
Other window-lit designs were also showcased during the early years of the building to celebrate a Kiwanis Club convention, the National Anti-Tuberculosis Association, a Christian ecumenical group and a dance held at the Capitol in conjunction with the legislative session, she said.
“It was meant to be used as a tool to welcome people and celebrate holidays,” Walker said. “I kind of think they were trying to be as inventive as possible and just created this really cool tradition.”
The red and green tree design has been consistent for decades, Walker said. A 1962 photo from the State Historical Society of North Dakota shows it similar to today.
Eighty-eight colored plastic window shades, 48 green and 40 red, on select windows on the north and south sides of the Capitol create the state’s iconic Christmas symbol, said Brandon Solberg, facilities director for the Office of Management and Budget, which oversees the Capitol grounds.
It takes five members of the facilities department to install the window shades every year after Thanksgiving, Solberg said. After that, the custodial staff need to ensure the colored shades are pulled down each night on the appropriate windows. The remaining windows are shaded to create a darkened outline for the tree.
“You can see the Capitol tower from so many different angles, and from so far away, that to have it lit up for the holidays is just great,” Solberg said. “It’s quite a process to do that on every floor, every night.”
The Capitol also lights its windows to display the new year on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. The windows are also lit to display 4th on the Fourth of July.
“Some offices aren’t very bright so they have to bring in lamps to kind of brighten up the room, so it can get kind of complicated,” he said.
The building was illuminated with “ND 125” on Aug. 16, 2014, to celebrate North Dakota’s 125th birthday. In recent years, the Capitol has lit a single number in its windows to commemorate the football championships won by the North Dakota State University Bison, he said.
The facilities department receives many requests to do other designs, in other colors, for special events, Solberg said, but the department typically turns down those requests because it would take too much time to set up and coordinate.
With the installation of new windows at the Capitol in 2026, Solberg said the architect was made aware of the annual window lighting to ensure the tradition continues.
He also said they are exploring the possibility of installing LED lighting in certain offices with automatic window shades that could make the lighting easier in the future, but those additions would require funding from the Legislature.
Walker, who is from Bismarck, recalls looking for the Capitol Christmas display as a little girl.
“I can remember just always looking for it to be up,” she said. “I really do kind of feel a sense of, ‘this is home.’”
(Story written by Michael Achterling – North Dakota Monitor)
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