This Old Statehouse
January 14, 2014 9:50 AM
With many statehouses around the nation in poor repair, the newly restored Kansas Statehouse in Topeka may be an example or a warning. Restoration was expected to cost $90 million to $120 million when the project began in 2000. Fourteen years and 12 bond issues later, the project came to $320 million. (Image: J.E. Dunn Construction Co.) See the full story: States Scrape to Cover Crumbling Capitols
Once work began, the 110-year-old landmark was found to be in worse shape than expected. A metal specialist from Conservation Solutions takes readings on the Topeka dome's copper in 2007. After a century of exposure to freezes, intense heat, hail and a tornado, the roof was showing visible tears and joint failure. Project architect Treanor Architects told state officials that the dome needed to be replaced rather than restored, adding $10.3 million to the project's final cost. (Image: Conservation Solutions)
The rotunda inside the Kansas Statehouse gleams with new paint and refurbished metal after completion of the 14-year project. In the process, Treanor architects worked to restore original stenciling and repair damaged artwork. "We've often told people that this is a once in a lifetime project," said Vance Kelley, principal at Treanor Architects. "We are very proud to have worked on the this project for the last 14 years." (Image: Treanor Architects)
Natural light fills the original dome on the Kansas Statehouse before its replacement. Damage over the past 103 years had turned some parts of the dome so dark in the interior that they were almost black, said Vance Kelley, principal at Treanor Architects. (Image: Treanor Architects)
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In 2005 the Kansas Senate chamber underwent extensive renovation. The desks, made from native Kansas wild cherrywood, were returned to their placement in a semicircle that was original to the 1885 period. Marble walkways between the bronze and copper columns and the windows were restored. The Senate chamber also received new carpeting stylistic of the period. New chandeliers replicate the gas fixtures of the 1880s. The private gallery is visible above the Senate president's desk. (Image: Kansas Historical Society)
One of the unique features of the Kansas Statehouse is this mural entitled "Tragic Prelude" of abolitionist John Brown, who led an anti-slavery militia in the pre-Civil War era known as Bleeding Kansas. Artist John Steuart Curry, who painted the mural in the 1930s left it unsigned and did not complete a mission to provide other murals. Kansas is thought to be the only state capitol with artwork depicting a person convicted of treason. (Image: Kansas Historical Society)
Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback addresses citizens attending the opening of the Kansas Statehouse Visitors Center on Jan. 2. "I haven't been the biggest fan of this project. But it's just time to wrap it up," said Brownback, who said he was not a big supporter of issuing debt to restore the capitol. Official ceremonies celebrating the project will be held on Kansas Day, Jan. 29. (Image: Treanor Architects)
With the new copper dome in place, scaffolding remained in 2013 as the restoration of the Statehouse neared completion. The copper dome is expected to weather to the verdigris color that the previous dome displayed. The original capitol opened in 1903. (Image: Treanor Architects)
The figure of a Kansa warrior atop the Kansas capitol dome is known as "Ad Astra Per Aspera," the state's Latin slogan meaning "to the stars through difficulty." After decades of debate, the 22-foot-tall statue was lifted to the top of the dome in 2002. The bronze sculpture by Richard Bergen would have to be lowered again within a decade for replacement of the building's copper dome. (Image: Kansas Historical Society)
