Kansas State Capitol

History

19th century

The land for Capitol Square was donated by Cyrus K. Holliday via his Topeka Town Company in 1862. The master architect was Edward Townsend Mix with the wings designed by John G. Haskell. Construction on the East Wing began in 1866, using "native" limestone from Geary County, Kansas. Construction began on the West Wing in 1879 using limestone from Cottonwood Falls, Kansas and in 1881, the legislature authorized and appropriated funds for the construction of a central building to link the two wings. Construction of this central building began in 1886, and the contract for dome construction was let in May, 1889.

20th century

The building was declared officially complete in 1903, after 37 years of construction.

It was not until 1988 that a design for a sculpture to stand atop the dome was finally approved. Ad Astra, a 22+2/12 ft bronze sculpture weighing 4420 lb, was installed atop the dome on October 10, 2002. The sculpture, by Richard Bergen, depicts a Kansa Native American with bow and arrow pointed at the North Star and was chosen from 27 entries to adorn the dome. The title Ad Astra is Latin shortening of the state motto Ad Astra Per Aspera To the stars through difficulty.

21st century

The building was featured prominently on Kansas license plates issued from January 2001 until April 2007. The Capitol dome and Native American Ad Astra statue are also featured on the standard license plate design that began issuance on August 19, 2024.

In December 2001, the Statehouse began a $120 million ($ in ) modernization project, led by Treanor Architects; the project included restoration of its first through fifth floors, the rehabilitation and expansion of its basement, restoration of its exterior masonry and copper roof/dome. By the time the project finished in spring 2014, scope creep and delays resulted in a total cost of $332 million ($ in ), covering "new heating and cooling systems, greater security and restroom accessibility, a new parking garage, visitor center, underground office space and replacing the roof and dome."

Frescos and murals

In 1898, Jerome Fedeli painted frescos near the top of the dome in the rotunda. Fedeli's work depicted bare-breasted classical women. However officials referred to the paintings as "Nude Telephone Girls" and had them painted-over.

In the 1930s, John Steuart Curry painted murals on the second floor including the building's most famous painting—Tragic Prelude—which depicts an oversize and raging John Brown wedged between the warring sides of the American Civil War, flanked by flames and a tornado. Curry's work gained considerable notoriety for depicting unsavory aspects of Kansas history and he left them unsigned and did not complete a commission to paint murals in the rotunda. Curry's depiction of Brown is believed to be the only instance of a person convicted of treason being featured in a state capitol.

David Hicks Overmyer painted a series of murals in the first floor rotunda between 1951 and 1953 entitled The Coming of the Spaniards, The Battle of Arickaree, The Battle of Mine Creek, Building a Sod House, Lewis and Clark in Kansas, Westward Ho, Arrival of the Railroad, and Chisholm Trail.

From 1976 to 1978, Lumen Martin Winter painted the murals in the rotunda.

A mural by Phyllis Garibay-Coon depicting Kansas suffragists (Minnie J. Grinstead, Lucy Browne Johnston, Carrie Langston Hughes, Mamie Dillard, Anna C. Wait, Clarina I. H. Nichols, Annie Le Porte Diggs, Lutie Lytle, Laura M. Johns, Lilla Day Monroe, Anna O. Anthony, Jane L. Brooks, and Lizzie S. Sheldon) was unveiled in the Kansas Statehouse in January 2025. It is located on the east side of the first-floor rotunda, is titled "Rebel Women", and is the first art installation by any woman artist to be in the Kansas Statehouse.

References

References

1. {{NRISref
2. (April 2011). "Kansas State Capitol - Timeline". Kansas State Historical Society.
3. "Kansas State Capitol Building". KansasPhotoTour.com.
4. "Kansas State Capitol online tour". Kansas State Historical Society.
5. "Kansas State Capitol - About". Kansas State Historical Society.
6. (11 June 2007). "Kansas Statehouse General Information". Kansas Department of Administration.
7. (June 2011). "Kansas State Capitol - Ad Astra". Kansas State Historical Society.
8. Grenz, Chris. (4 November 2002). "Tribes participate in statue dedication". cjonline.com.
9. Moline, Matt. (16 November 2002). "Capitol dome contenders—Runner-up: The grounded 'Ad Astra'". cjonline.com.
10. Hughes, Elliot. (November 14, 2013). "$332 million later, Statehouse construction nears its end". The World Company.
11. "Cool Things - Artist's Brushes and Palette". Kansas State Historical Society.
12. Susan V. Craig, ‘’Biographical Dictionary of Kansas Artists (active before 1945)‘’ (Lawrence: University of Kansas, 2009), p. 276 (https://kuscholarworks.ku.edu/bitstream/handle/1808/1028/BDKAversion2.pdf?sequence=4) Accessed January 5, 2022.
13. “David Hicks Overmyer,” Kansapedia, Kansas State Historical Society, 2020, (https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/david-hicks-overmyer/15551) Accessed January 5, 2022.
14. Palmer, Brent. (January 30, 2025). "Women’s suffragette mural unveiled at Kansas Statehouse on Kansas Day".
15. https://hayspost.com/posts/38960331-3c69-4eea-a3e7-3f03e9920441
16. Svoboda, Trish. (January 23, 2025). "Kansas Suffragist Memorial to Be Dedicated on Kansas Day, Honoring Trailblazing Women in Voting Rights Movement | KCLY Radio".
17. Kaminski, Anna. (January 29, 2025). "Kansas Statehouse’s newest art installation, first by woman artist, celebrates suffragists • Kansas Reflector".