KANSAS CAPITOL BUILDING

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ELWILL M. SHANAHAN The Kansas Capitol Building On January 29, 1861, Kansas was admitted to the union as the 34th state. Topeka was selected as the capital city of the state in an election held in November, 1861, which was called in pursuance to an act passed by the first state legislature. Seven towns vied for the honor of becoming the capital city. The square of twenty acres of ground upon which the state Capitol stands was donated for that use by C. K. Holliday, president and special trustee of the Topeka Association, on January 23, 1862, and was accepted by the legislature the same year.

Looking west across the second floor rotunda, figures from the Curry mural ''Kansas Pastoral are seen in the alcove approaching the west wing w ji i urvi

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East Wing Started in 1866 KANSAS STATE LIBRARY In 1866, five years after Kansas was admitted to the Union, a plan was adopted for a State House and an aft to secure the erection of the east wing was passed and approved. The east wing was started in 1866 at a cost of $290,000 plus $8,000 proceeds from the sale of ten sections of land. The original plans were to use brown sandstone from the bluffs along Deer Creek southeast of Topeka near Vinewood park. The stone was quarried on the farm of the late Congressman John G. Otis, southeast of the city. The first winter was very severe and by 1867 much of the sandstone had crumbled and deteriorated. It was necessary to remove all this sandstone, and it was replaced with limestone from Geary county, Kansas. When the east wing of the State House was completed it was necessary to make provisions for the accommodation of both the Senate and the House of Representatives in the hall now used as a Senate Cham­ ber. To that end, a wall divided the room, and about one-third of the entire space on the north was used for the Senate Chamber. In December, 1869, the state offices were removed from old Consti­ tution Hall, 427-429 Kansas Avenue, and the legislature of 1870 met in the new Capitol. The east wing was completed in 1873.

Construction of West Wing Begun in 1879 In 1879 the state house commission was recreated and work was started on the west wing. The legislature made a direct appropriation of $60,000 and provided a one-half mill levy for its construction. The west wing is similar to the east wing, except it is four feet wider and six feet longer. The limestone used was from Cottonwood Falls, Kansas. By summer of 1880 this wing was practically enclosed. The House of Representatives of 1881 met in the new hall, although it was unplastered and a temporary roof had to be used, while state offices became occupied during the same year. A covered wooden bridge was built from the Senate to the House for messages to be taken from one to the other. Sometimes it was called the "Cave of the Winds" by people of Topeka. The total cost of the west wing was only about $300,000, against $500,000 for the east wing—very much inferior to the former in material and workmanship. The great difference in the cost of *he two buildings, substantially the same size and architectural design, may be attributed partly to causes common to all the country during the time immediately succeeding the great rebellion, the depreciation of the currency. The north and south wings were built later. There were four buildings, all independent, and the rotunda was built to tie the four buildings together. The dome was built last.

Construction Completed in 1903 The contract was let for the main building in May, 1887. While digging for the foundation of the main building a subterranean stream was found and it was closed with great difficulty. The fin­ ished structure was turned over to the state on March 24, 1903, at a cost of approximately $3,200,500. From an archiiectural standpoint the state capitol building is one of which every Kansan should be proud. While there are a number of state capitol buildings in the United States that are more expensive and are ornamented with more costly material, there are few, if any, that present a grander view from the standpoint of altitude and proportion as one views it from the rotunda. The building is 399 feet north and south, and 386 feet east and west; 304 feet to the top of the dome, and there are 296 steps from the top of the building to the top of the dome.

Many Types of Marble Used Throughout the interior of the capitol many types of marble are used. The wainscoting in the center of the building on the first floor is of Tennessee marble; the west corridor is of Manual tile, and the east corridor is of Georgian marble. The large upper panels in wains­ coting on the second floor are built of Siena and Lambertin marble from Italy. The base and capstones are Numidian marble from Africa. Mopboard and base of niche are rouge Royal marble from France. Tennessee marble is used in all wings of the second floor and the marble on the second floor is the finest in the building. The Georgian marble in the rotunda of the third floor was put in by the Populist party, as their memorial. At one time many of the state offices had a handsome porcelain bathtub and a washstand of pure white marble which were installed during the Populist administration. Governor John Y. Leedy, second Populist governor, was considered the father of the idea. He cam­ paigned with the invitation, "Come visit me and take a bath in my private tub."

Frescoing Dome Interior Done Twice Also during the Populist administration, in 1898, Jerome Fedeli agreed to do the job of frescoing the interior of the Capitol dome for $1,600. His design contained figures of conventional Greek style—sixteen women facing the viewer and holding a garland of flowers and vases with an ornamental flower in between. In 1902 the Republicans chose to have the murals replaced. The present frescoing was done by painters from Crossman and Study of Chicago at a cost of $7,600. The pictures were painted and designed under the supervision of Abner Crossman. These pictures were painted in oil on Egyptian canvas and have a mosaic background. The four sections are allegorical in composition: East panel—"Knowledge." This panel shows a stately woman with an open book in her lap. On one side is "Temperance" with a goblet of water, and on the other side is "Religion" with a Bible in her hand. - 2 - // Plenty" is the title given this oil painting amid ornate frescoing in the dome.

North panel—"Plenty." The chief figure is a woman with a lap of small fruits. On one side stands "Labor," lamp in cap and pick and shovel on one shoulder and on the other side, "Agriculture" with a sickle and sheaf of wheat. West panel—"Peace." The central figure, a woman, is shown with a sheathed sword, entwined with roses. On one side is "Art," a young girl painting and on the other side is "Science," a girl measuring the globe with a compass. South panel—"Power." The central figure is a woman with a half drawn sword, indicating the willingness to fight for the right. On one side is a Civil War veteran and on the other side is a Spanish-American war veteran. Below the paintings and forming an arch over each of the four openings from the wings is a replica of the state seal in full relief; at each side there are figures representing the varied activities of Kansas at the time—labor, horticulture, agriculture, coal mining, etc.

- 3 - Hand-hammered copper columns and Egyptian plastering accentuate beauty in the Senate chamber.

Legislative Chambers Ornate The Senate chamber and the House of Representatives are located on the third floor—the Senate in the east wing and the House of Representatives in the west wing. The Senate chamber is one of the finest in the United States and was decorated in 1885 at a cost of nearly $300,000. The ceiling is of Egyptian architecture and the state imported Egyptians to do the work. The ceiling is made of a unique type of plaster, and in nearly 100 years there have been no cracks. The round windows on each side are from France. Originally the glass was a combination of prism and stained glass. The theory was that the prism and stained glass would accentuate or increase the rays of light to appear as rays of the sun. Many types of marble have been used in the Senate chamber. The lower wall, just above the baseboards, is a grayish blue marble from

- 4 - Belgium and is a very unusual color for marble. Above the blue marble, running horizontally around the room, is a panel of onyx from Old Mexico, sometimes called precious stone. The white marble above the onyx is from Italy, the same marble from which the Venus de Milo was carved. The marble over the door is from Tennessee and is very ornate. The description of the work is "hand sculptured" (a term used by Michelangelo).

Senate Columns Hand-Hammered Copper The twenty-eight columns are hand-hammered copper. Italians were imported to do this work. According to historical reports it took one man a day to complete a small cluster of three leaves in the design. The base of the columns is made of black cast iron and the grill v'ork on the base leads one to believe that these were originally charcoal burners used to heat the Senate chamber. The forty desks and chairs are hand-made of Kansas wild cherry. The president's rostrum and journal clerks' section is made of Kansas wild walnut, as are the double doors at the entrance of the chamber. Additional ornate work is found in the grey marble sections. There are insets of copper plates with hand-hammered designs and below these are insets of rosettes made and carved from the Tennessee m arble.

Rows of desks in the House of Representatives are surrounded by marble walls and wainscoting.

- 5 - House Chamber Has Rare Marble The marble in the House of Representatives is from Tennessee, and the wainscoting on the east wall is made of many kinds of imported marble trimmed with Italian Carrara, and panels of Bro- celian marble with Belgian green marble in the base of the columns. Several pieces of marble in the east wall are of jasper, which is mentioned in the Bible (walls of jasper and streets of gold). The speaker's stand is made of walnut, surmounted with hand-carved urns of solid walnut. In a two-year phased plan, the House of Representatives was totally renovated. New lighting and fixtures and an entire face­ lifting add to the already-beautiful hardwoods and marble.

Governor's Office Finished in White Mahogany The governor's offices are located on the second floor and are finished in white mahogany from Old Mexico. An outstanding artist of his day, George Stone, of Topeka, painted the two pictures in these offices. The one on the east wall is an allegorical picture of

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A reproduction of the seal of the state of Kansas is woven into carpeting in front of the Governor's desk in his office. Justice, called "Spirit of Kansas." An interesting feature of it is an empty beer bottle at her feet, a tipped-over whisky demijohn and the broken shackles of slavery. On the west wall of the conference room is the other picture, depicting a covered wagon drawn by oxen.

Murals Outstanding Kansas Art

The murals on the first and second floors of the state house are outstanding examples of Kansas art depicting the development of Kansas. The rotunda murals on the first floor were designed and executed by David H. Overmyer, a native of Topeka, who received his training in various American art schools and acquired his experience in the fine arts and commercial fields of the United States. There are eight murals in the group and a brief description of each follows:

"The Coming of the Spaniards"

In 1541 Coronado, with thirty Spanish followers, came into the area which is now Kansas. Lured by the myth of the "Seven Cities of Cibola" and eager for conquest in the name of Spain, an expedition had been organized and moved north and west from Mexico City. After transversing mountain and desert country the adventurers came to the Grand Canyon of the Colorado, and the majority of the party remained in the American Southwest. However, Coronado and a small band, still zealous in their dream of riches and empire, moved on northeast. In central Kansas, probably north of the Arkansas river valley, the weary Spaniards turned back to rejoin the main force. They had found a land of great riches, but not the golden land of Quivira and cities paved with gold.

"The Chisholm Trail"

At the end of the Civil War millions of Texas Longhorns were left on the plains without a market. The Union Pacific was building west across Kansas and at Abilene, stockyards were built on the railroad. There the herds of cattle which were driven overland in the late 1 860's and the early 1870's were held for shipment to market. The trail, taking its name from an Indian trader, Jesse Chisholm, served as a great highway for thousands of longhorns as they made their way toward the railhead. Stampedes, flooded rivers, extreme heat and the lawlessness that prevailed at Abilene all added to the dan­ gers of the trail and in turn made the era of the "long drive" a picturesque one.

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The Coming of the Spaniards" is one of eight murals by Topeka artist David O verm yer in the first floor rotunda.

"The Coming of the Railroad" A more auspicious phase of the history of the late 1860's and early 1870's is shown in this picture of pioneer folk, eager to take their first train ride. As "Handlebar Hank" pulls the whistle cord in his little locomotive, a country lad reaching for his carpetbags loses his hat in a cloud of Kansas dust, while two lovers embrace. Others attired in the fashion of the day hasten to get aboard. The coming of the railroad opened a new and better era in the West.

- 8 - "The Santa Fe Trail"

Slow and lumbering, ox-drawn wagons provided the means by which many home-seeking pioneers and traders made the long trek down the Santa Fe Trail. The hardship-ridden trails of the West had their happier side too, for youth came, and with youth came confidence, hope and gaiety. Perhaps it was the light hand of fancy which be­ decked the ox with a garland of sunflowers or maybe the wreath served only to discourage flies. With each wagon train traveled the ever vigilant scout showing the way across the land which the native Indian was reluctant to relinquish.

"Lewis and Clark in Kansas"

Following the purchase of Louisiana from the French in 1803, President Thomas Jefferson dispatched Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to explore the Missouri river from its mouth to its source. Lewis and Clark reached the mouth of the Kansas river in the summer of 1804 and camped for three days near the present site of Kansas City, Kansas. As they continued up the Missouri they noted and named some of the streams of this state which flow into it.

"Building a Sod House"

The Kansas pioneer built his home on the great plains "Where the deer and the antelope play." His facilities were meager and his strength and courage were his best assets. Providing shelter was, as always, a prime responsibility of the frontier settler. Sod from the prairie was easily available for building purposes and so the "soddy" became a common dwelling in this part of the West.

"The Battle of Mine Creek"

The largest battle fought in Kansas, involving some 25,000 men, took place in Linn county on October 25, 1864. Union troops, both regulars and volunteer militia, engaged Confederate General Sterling Price's forces who were attempting to reach Fort Scott. The Con­ federate army was thrown into confusion by the Yankees under Generals Curtis, Blunt and Pleasanton, and in the fighting along the Mine Creek bottoms hundreds of Rebels, including General Marma- duke, were captured. The Union force did not destroy Price's army, but the defeat ended the threat of a Confederate invasion of Kansas.

"The Battle of the Arikaree"

On September 10, 1868, Col. George A. Forsyth with a troop of 49 scouts left Fort Wallace in pursuit of a large band of renegade Sioux, Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians. On the morning of September 17 the troop was surprised by the Indians and was forced to retreat to the dubious safety of a small sandy island in the Arikaree river a

9 - short distance west of the present Cheyenne county line. The troop, dug in behind its dead horses and mules, was able to throw back the Indian attacks time after time, but the losses to the soldiers were heavy. Finally, after volunteers had reached Fort Wallace with a message for help, a relief column from the fort arrived on the Arikaree in time to save the remaining 28 men. One of the army dead was Lieut. Frederick Beecher, and it was for him that a small island in the river was named, thus giving to this battle its other name of Beecher's Island. The picture shows an encircling action by the Indians. The upper group covers the charge of those in the middle-ground. Their target is the scout's position, indicated by puffs of white smoke.

Second Floor Murals by Curry

The murals in the rotunda on the second floor were painted by the artist John Steuart Curry, who was born near Dunavant, Jefferson county, Kansas. The two-panel mural entitled "Tragic Prelude," occupies the east and north walls of the east corridor, facing the governor's office. In the words of William Allen White, the period depicted in these two panels was a "tragic prelude to the tragic years to come." At the left of the east corridor, Coronado and Padre Padilla, the Franciscan missionary, look out across the Kingdom of Quivira, above which float the omnipresent buzzards. To the right of the archway stands the figure of the plainsman and buffalo hunter, behind him the slain buffalo, and behind them the thundering herds of buffalo pursued by Indians—and behind all, a lurid sun which lights the scene on both walls. The mural is 22 feet long and 1 V/2 feet high.

John Brown in Civil War Scene

Centered on the north wall (31 feet by 1 1V2 feet) is the gigantic figure of John Brown. In his outstretched left hand the word of God and in the right a "Beecher's Bible" (a rifle). Beside him facing each other are the contending free soil and proslavery forces, at their feet, two figures symbolic of the million and a half dead of the North and South. In this group is expressed the fratricidal fury that first flamed on the plains of Kansas, the tragic prelude to the last bloody feud of the English-speaking people. Back of this group are the pioneers and their wagons on the endless trek to the west, and back of all, are the tornado and the raging prairie fire, fitting symbols of the de­ struction of the coming Civil war.

- 10 - The gigantic figure of John Brown looms in the center of John Steuart Curry's mural ' Tragic Prelude" in the second floor rotunda.

"Kansas Pastoral" Shows Modern Times In the west corridor off the rotunda is located "Kansas Pastoral." In this comparatively quiet corridor is portrayed Kansas of modern times in the time of fruitful harvest. On the north wall there is portrayed the industry of the oil fields. Here is shown the oil rig, which again demonstrates the tremendous resources of the state. On the west wall stand the ten-foot figures of the young farmer, his wife and children, and back of them the ideal unmortgaged farm home—back of that the night and evening sky. On the long wall to the south is a great reach of the Kansas land­ scape—in the foreground the Hereford bull, wheat field, feeding steers and hogs, a grain elevator, doves in Osage orange trees. Behind all these are fields of corn and grain running back to the distant hills and the setting sun framed by the great turreted cloud to the north.

- 1 1 - The Supreme Court room is of French Renaissance architecture in conformance with the overall design of the Capitol Building. All of the woodwork, including the massive judges' bench, is white oak.

Unique Table Interests Many Of interest to many visitors to the state Capitol is a unique table in the office of the secretary of state. The table was built by an inmate at Lansing and probably was completed about 1899. The table is five feet square and contains over 2,000 pieces of wood. The design of the table is the U. S. seal in the center and the four corners bear circles containing the Kansas seal, American flag, eight- pointed star and forty-four stars (the number of states when the artist began the table). Also, of great interest, is the large walnut Victorian mirror in the secretary of state's office. It was restored by the late Paul R. Shana­ han, Secretary of State, 1951-1966. The mirror was found in the state auditor's washroom. It is believed to be of the original fur­ nishings of the Capitol. The antique mirror is called a pier glass, a Victorian architectural term, which means a mirror designed to go between two windows. It has a marble stand at the base. During the Populist period when bathtubs were part of the state's household furnishings, it may have been used in the washroom. The state Capitol of Kansas stands on ground donated to the state by Cyrus K. Holliday. The Legislature accepted the block of land known as "Capitol Grounds" by joint resolution approved February 7, 1862. Construction of the Capitol Building was first authorized by House Bill No. 34, Session of 1866, and the first building commission was appointed that year. The building of French Renaissance architecture with Corinthian composite details was designed by E. Townsend Mix. First general

- 12 - contractor was D. J. Silvers and Son. Interior of the Senate chamber was designed by John G. Haskell, architect, and L. AA. Wood, designer. A total of eight state architects served during the years of con­ struction. Before the Capitol was completed, the east wing was reconstructed. The original cornerstone disintegrated during the first winter after its installation. The second cornerstone was discovered in 1950 but the copper box placed inside had split and the only objects identifiable among its contents were a few coins and a number of small bottles containing seeds. A third cornerstone was installed in 1950. In commemorating Kansas' first one hundred years of statehood in 1961, a time capsule was placed in a niche in the second floor rotunda.

The Kansas Capitol is of French Renaissance architecture with Corinthian composite d e ta ils.

- 13 Parts of Capitol Unfinished In the original plans made with John Steuart Curry, it was planned to have eight murals in the main rotunda on the second floor. When the controversy over removing the marble wainscoting became so heated, these eight murals were never painted. Another unfinished part of the Capitol according to the original plan is the dome. The dome terminates in a ball or rather a cpp- shaped object. The dome was intended to have a bronze statue of Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture. A model was made of the statue in 1901 but a large group of Kansans objected that Ceres was not worthy to adorn the capitol of a respectable state like Kansas so no money was made available. Also, on the north and south porches there are large triangular spaces in the gables of rough stone. The plans were to have the rough stone adorned with high relief sculp­ ture—on the south a composition of the Great Seal and on the north a group illustrating strife of Kansas to be a free state. These sculp­ tures have never been made.

Capitol Remodeling In November, 1965, a multi-phased renovation of the Capitol Building was begun. By early 1974, the first phases had been com­ pleted. Included in the remodeling was the addition of central heating and air conditioning. Storm damage to the Capitol dome, which occurred in June, 1966, was repaired, and the House Chamber was remodeled along with the Governor's office and other office areas, and the outside steps of all four wings were replaced. The total cost of the work, by 1974, amounted to approximately $5,700,000. Final remodeling phases were begun in March, 1974, when work on the Senate Chamber, scheduled for completion early 1975, was started. Other legislative offices, the fifth floor and the basement are also scheduled for refurbishing. The estimated cost for this work has been placed at $2,200,000.

Third Printing

PRINTED BY ROBERT R. (BOB) SANDERS. STATE PRINTER TOPEKA. KANSAS 1 972 34-2891 119-P- 100M