Post #3, Construction and the Exterior Architecture of the Statehouse

Pre-Construction

According to the Kansas Historical Society, the construction of the Kansas State Capitol began in 1866, what was already known as the "Capitol Square" was donated in 1862. This eventually would be the land of where the building would soon reside. The early design for the Kansas State Capitol Building was created by Edward Townsend Mix. Although, the statehouse committee also reviewed and later declared Kansas architect John G. Haskell as the hired architect for the project. Haskell made many changes to the original blueprint by Edward Mix as the final product. Haskell had a big task in the creation of the statehouse, as the committee wanted the building to be fire resistant, use natural lighting, and they also wanted the wings to all be attached like the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. All of these criteria were surprisingly met by Mr. Haskell with the implementation of the inner and outer domes as well as the open floor plan that was established inside the building.

FUN FACT: You can find many plaques stating the important history of the statehouse on site, as Kansas is a very proud state of its history. This is also present in all of the memorials and donated items that are placed in the lawns surrounding the building.

Construction

As previously stated the construction of the building began in 1866 with the state legislature passing house bill number 34, which provided individuals to begin construction. You can find a plaque on the south side steps which tells its readers that Governor Samuel Crawford signed the passing of the bill and officially made it law. The statehouse had a rough beginning as there were troubles on finding materials that would be strong enough to support a building that was going to stand over 300 feet tall! They first used brown stone to begin construction on the east wing of the building. Unfortunately, the wall crumbled following the winter months. The construction resumed in the early portion of 1867 with the main material being that of limestone that happened to have a much harder core. The building took about 37 years to complete, but on March 24th of 1903 the building was ruled as complete with a total estimated cost of over $3,000,000.

Interior Artwork

Unfortunately, a lot of the original paintings and murals that were originally placed in the Kansas State Capitol were perceived to be controversial and were ultimately removed from the premises. The floor-plan for the building was discussed and changed several times. The original floor plan called for a fountain to be placed on the first floor in the middle of the rotunda. Which is very odd, as now it is home to a very decorative tile floor which directs its visitors with tiles that tell the visitors which direction they are looking, (North, East, South, and West) much like a compass. 

FUN FACT: The Kansas State Capitol Building is actually taller than the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington D.C. by approximately 17 feet according to the Kansas Historical Society. The building also features many murals by several Kansas artists that were placed in the building in 2002. 

Please refer to the following site for more information about the architecture and construction of our own state capitol building: Kansas State Capitol History and Architecture

Please note that this information was collected from the Kansas State Historical Society as well as taken from individuals on-site itself.

Post #2, Statues in the Lawn

The Abraham Lincoln statue was dedicated on February 12th of 1918. Designed by Robert Merell Gage (a former Kansan), constructed this six-foot-tall statue of pure bronze.  The statue sits atop a four-foot granite base; the material cost totaled around $3,000. 

The Abraham Lincoln statue is located on the
 right side of the front lawn. (Southeast Quadrant)

It is often said that Lincoln's seated position is used to
reflect his emotions towards the end of his Presidency.

 Source(s) that I used include: Statues of Historic Figures (Abraham Lincoln)

Dedicated on May 11, 1937 this statue resembles the strong and compelling persona of the early pioneer women that settled in the state of Kansas. The confident woman that is centered in this piece shows extreme confidence while also protecting her family in the harsh early life of American settlement. Ironically, this statue was also designed by Robert Merell Gage. 

Dedicated by the Kansas Pioneer Woman's Association,
this statue lies in the Southwest quadrant of the statehouse lawn.

Please refer to the following link by the Kansas Historical Society for more information: Kansas State Capitol (Pioneer Woman of Kansas)
The following is an alternative source that I used in the creation of this post: Pioneer Women of Kansas Monument

This replica of the lady of liberty was one of two-hundred donated by the Boy Scouts of America 

to commemorate their 40th anniversary. It's said that the Boy Scouts saved each penny to finance for the building of the statue. Governor Carlson officially accepted the statue in 1950 with a huge celebratory parade and concert to follow. 

Located in the Northwest Quadrant of the Capitol Lawn.

In the creation of this blog post, I referred to the Kansas Historical Society for the information regarding this statue. Please refer to the following link for the previous information presented: Kansas State Capitol Tour (Replica of the Statue of Liberty)

The following memorial was constructed to pay tribute to the two-hundred and seventy-one law enforcement officials who have passed away while on duty in the state of Kansas. The memorial is divided into sectors that categorizes the individuals by their respective titles of Law Enforcement.

You can locate this circular memorial in the
Northeast corner of the Capitol's lawn.

The following link will take you to the official page of the Kansas Historical Society so you can locate further information regarding the Memorial. Kansas Law Enforcement Memorial (KSHS)

I would like to notify my readers that I heavily used the Kansas Historical Society while in the process of creating this blog post and I also give a huge thanks to the Topeka State Capitol staff for directing and providing information to me while taking photos on site. 

Post #1, Welcome to our Blog!

Hello! My name is Wesley Tabor. I am the publisher of this blog that you see here on this page. I am creating this blog for one of my courses that I attend at Washburn University. I was given an assignment to publish and edit my own functional blog. The assignment instructions were broad and stated that the blog could cover any topic that I so desired. It took a while but after about a half hour I recollected on my experience that I recently had at the Capitol Building in Topeka, KS. I vividly remembered myself taking the 296 steps to the top of the outer dome which reaches about 40 stories high! I explicitly remember my tour guide explaining to me that you can see tens to hundreds of miles out on a clear day, which was unfortunate for me as it was foggy on that Friday afternoon. However, this experience that happened to transpire during class was a life saver as I was completely spacing out on a unique idea that compared to the well-thought out one's of my classmates.

In a brief overview, this blog will talk about the beautiful artwork that the Topeka state Capitol Building has to offer its wonderful guests. This will include everything from the statues in the front lawn to the breath taking architecture of the building itself and then slowly we will make our way inside the building to showcase the craftsmanship of the canvas paintings and again, architecture. I will of course provide a brief history of the significance behind these pieces of art (Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How). In addition to this, I am looking forward to utilizing my photography capabilities while also providing wonderful insight about a building that was constructed in the late 1800's and completed in 1903.

Unfortunately, there will be some things in regards to the Capitol Building that I won't be able to cover. This is why I encourage you, my readers, to e-mail me (see bottom of post for instructions on how to e-mail me!). I am completely and 100% open to topics of discussion and ideas that my readers have for me. This isn't just my space for publishing, but it is also your space for reading and I want this blog to be as collaborative and unique as possible! I sure hope that everyone here will enjoy this blog as much as I will! I also promise all of my readers that if I reach and maintain a steady following that I will keep up on this blog for my four year tenure at Washburn University!

Enjoy some photos!

STEPS ON HOW TO E-MAIL ME:
To e-mail me, simply locate the link on the right hand column that is listed as "View my complete profile" and then locate on the left hand side the link that is labeled "email" which is posted under the heading "contact me".