Post #9, Senate Gallery

Before I begin, I would like to thank you for joining me today. Today, I am going to showcase the wonderful Senate Gallery that is confusingly placed on the East Wing of the capitol building, but yet is called the "Senate West Gallery." This can be confusing for many visitors, including myself, but my hypothesis is that this room may have once resided in what once was the West Wing but is now the East Wing of the building. This may or may not be true but regardless, it is extremely confusing. I thought that I should provide you with a little bit of information about the current Senate and then we can delve into the beauty of this room. Currently, there are 40 members of the Senate who represent certain districts of the state of Kansas. The Senate consists of 31 Republicans and 9 Democrats; I know, it seems pretty uneven. The Senate holds annual meetings that normally begin on the second Monday in January and it typically lasts around 90 calendar days. 

Changing gears to the discussion about the architecture and beauty of this room. First, the room was first constructed in 1865 and it wasn't completely finished until 1873. Although, the first session took place in January of 1869 (while construction was still being done). The original construction was a bit different than what we see today as renovation of the room began in 1999 with the refinishing of the 28 columns that are present within the chamber. These columns are made out of bronze with cast iron plates made out of copper and silver. What makes this room so interesting and unique is its variety of contributors to its beauty. The carpet was hand designed in Indonesia, the stain glass windows were imported from France, the ceiling is of European Renaissance design that was originally done by artisans from Egypt. What really amazes me is the lighting of the room; it is just absolutely stunning when you get to see those chandeliers first hand. The new chandeliers that are currently residing in the chamber were apart of the renovation process that occurred in the early 2000's and are direct replica's that are based on the original design of the room back in the 1860's. When combining all of the beautiful architecture and pieces from this room you get a room that was designed by a large portion of the world and different countries. 

(Please make sure to check out the images below!)

The renovation and restoration process
was finalized in December of 2005 and
a celebration ceremony was held in January of 2006
to honor its true beauty.

The Senate Chamber/Gallery

Original Carpet that was hand-designed in Indonesia.

This desk was originally purchased in 1885 about ten years
after the original construction. It has sat here ever since.

Entrance to the Chamber (looking out
 to the Rotunda)

The Information included in this blog post was interpreted and verified for use by crew members and 

tour-guides that are currently employed at the Statehouse. In addition to this, information was received by the Secretary of the Senate on his release of a documented article containing information regarding the restoration of the Senate Chamber/Gallery.

Thank You,