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Published by ELWILL M. SHANAHAN KANSAS CAPITOL BUILDING AM Published by 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 3 5141 00208779 0 MAK 1 o 199^ 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.
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