ND governor bridles at Capitol insult

North Dakota Capitol
This photo, taken Thursday, April 19, 2012, shows the North Dakota Capitol, whose main tower is almost 250 feet high. The Republican majority leader of the Minnesota House on Thursday described the North Dakota Capitol building, which is located in Bismarck, N.D., as "embarrassing" and compared it to an insurance office. His remarks came during debate in the Minnesota Legislature in St. Paul, Minn., about whether to set aside money for repairs to the Minnesota Capitol.
AP Photo/Dale Wetzel

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) -- North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple isn't pleased by a Minnesota lawmaker's comparison of the North Dakota Capitol to an insurance office.

Minnesota Republican House majority leader Matt Dean mentioned North Dakota Thursday during debate in St. Paul about whether to pay for renovations to Minnesota's Capitol.

North Dakota's Capitol was built during the Depression in the 1930s. Lawmakers wanted to keep costs down, and the building has a plain concrete and stone exterior.

Dean called the North Dakota Capitol "embarrassing" and said it resembles a State Farm insurance building.

Dalrymple said Thursday he thinks the Capitol is "one of the most pleasing in the United States." He says it's a "classic" example of Chicago skyscraper design.

He says people who don't appreciate the North Dakota Capitol haven't studied much architecture.

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