Missouri State Capitol
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The Missouri State Capitol is the state capitol building of the U.S. state of Missouri. Housing the Missouri General Assembly, it is located in the state capital of Jefferson City at 201 West Capitol Avenue. The domed building was designed by the New York architectural firm of Tracy and Swartwout and completed in 1917.
The Capitol's dome, rising 238 feet above ground level and topped by a bronze statue of Ceres, goddess of vegetation, rises above the bluffs of the Missouri River and is the first view of Jefferson City for travelers arriving from the north. In addition to housing the two legislative bodies, the Capitol provides office space for the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, treasurer, state auditor and some administrative agencies.
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[edit] Architecture, paintings, and statuary
The Missouri State Capitol is notable for its architectural features, including its eight 48-foot columns on the south portico and six 40-foot columns on the north side; its 30-foot-wide grant stairway and its bronze front doors, each 13 by 18 feet -- largest cast since the Roman era.
The Capitol's first floor features the State Museum. Paintings, pediments and friezes decorate the Capitol interior. A prime attraction is a series of Thomas Hart Benton murals in the House Lounge.
Statuary is a prominent feature of the Capitol grounds. Heroic bronze figures depicting Missouri's two great rivers, the Mississippi and the Missouri by Robert Aitken, and a 13-foot statue of Thomas Jefferson by James Earle Fraser dominate the south entrance. A Karl Bitter bronze relief depicting the signing of the Louisiana Purchase by Livingston, Monroe and Marbois and the Fountain of the Centaurs created by A.A. Weinman are the most outstanding features on the north grounds.
The north side of the building contains a frieze showing the history of Missouri by Hermon Atkins MacNeil while the theme is carried on on the south side by Alexander Stirling Calder. The figure of Ceres on the top of the dome is by Sherry Fry and the pediment over the main entrance is by Weinman.
The structure is Jefferson City's leading tourist attraction and is a mecca for school groups who arrive by busloads, particularly during General Assembly sessions when they fill the galleries to watch the Senate and House of Representatives in action.
[edit] History of structure
The present Capitol, completed in 1917 and occupied the following year, is the third Capitol in Jefferson City and the sixth in Missouri history. The first seat of state government was housed in the Mansion House, Third and Vine Streets, St. Louis; the second was in the Missouri Hotel, Maine and Morgan Streets, also in St. Louis. St. Charles was designated as temporary capital of the state in 1821 and remained the seat of government until 1826.
It was decided that the Capitol should be located more in the center of the state, and specifically, that it should be located on the Missouri river within 40 miles of the mouth of the Osage. A group was sent out to survey various locations. The present location on top of the bluffs in Jefferson City was chosen because it afforded the best view of the Missouri River of any place which they had seen within the limits prescribed by the Constitution.
The fourth Capitol (the first in Jefferson City) was made out of brick, was 2 stories tall, and measured approximately 40’x60’, taking 2 years to complete. It was built for approximately $18,500. It was called the “Governor’s House and State Capitol.” This building burned in 1837.
The fifth Capitol was completed in 1840, for approximately $350,000, with some claiming that there were bribes and kickbacks. This also burned on February 5, 1911 when it was struck by lightning. This building was approximately 50,000 SF and by 1911, was far too small to meet the needs of the legislators. Missouri Senator William Warner said, “I have no tears to shed over the fact that the building has been destroyed as it was totally inadequate and not in keeping with the requirements of our great state.”
The original budget called for a building to be constructed for $3,000,000, with an additional $500,000 allocated for site and furnishings. This was approved in general election by the public by a wide margin of 3 to 1. However, the state miscalculated on revenue projections, and ended up collecting $4,215,000. All of this money was eventually used for the entire project, which is one of the reasons why the sculptures and art work are of such high caliber.
It was also decided that the architect would be selected from a design competition; names were left off of the submissions so that there was no local favoritism. 69 architecture firms submitted for the competition, which was then reduced down to a short list of 11. Tracy & Swarthout from New York was ultimately selected.
The building is symetrical in plan, giving equal weight (literally and figuratively) to both the House and Senate. The style makes many historical references to the Capitol in Washington DC, as well as to Greek and Roman temples; however, the typical column capital is a unique variation on the Classic Corinthian Capital, replacing the acanthus leaves with local flora.
The stone for the exterior is a dense marble from Carthage, Missouri. Some of the finer details have eroded after 90 years of freeze/thaw cycles. The state has committed monies to study restoration and prevent further deterioration. The building measures five stories high, 437 feet long, 300 feet wide in the center and 200 feet wide in the wings. The dome is 238 feet high and the height of the wings is 88 feet. It includes 500,000 square feet of floor space. The Roman Goddess Ceres sits on top of the dome, making reference to the strong agricultural history of the state.
[edit] Rotunda Chandelier Incident
On Friday, November 11, 2006. The 4500 pound chandelier that hangs in the dome of the building, which had been lowered almost to the ground for maintence, fell the remaining five feet to the ground. The chandelier was damaged by the impact and the ornamental chains falling on it, and has been taken to St. Louis for repairs.
[edit] Sources
Kvaran, Einar Einarsson, Architectural Sculpture of America, unpublished manuscript
Semissourian.com-Chandelier incident
Pickard, John, The Missouri State Capitol: Report of the Capitol Decoration Commission, 1917-1928, Capitol Decoration Committee, Jefferson City Missouri, 1928
[edit] External links
- Missouri symbols - Capitol building1177057.html
- SEMissourian: Story: 4,500-pound chandelier damaged in Missouri capitol mishap
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps or Yahoo! Maps
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
- Satellite image from Google Maps or Microsoft Virtual Earth
