Topics in Kansas History: Politics & Government

Essay on State Government

In the general election of November 5, 1861, Topeka was chosen as the site of the state capital. Although many cities vied for this honor, Topeka edged out its closest competitor, Lawrence, by a vote of 7,996 to 5,291.

The present site of the capitol was donated by the Topeka Town Company in 1862. Four years later, work began on this first wing.

The east wing of the capitol was designed by Lawrence architect, John G. Haskell. Begun in 1866, a significant delay ocurred when stone quarried near Topeka for the foundation crumbled. It had to be removed and replaced with more durable Junction City limestone. This first wing was occupied in 1869 and cost over $400,000. It was finally completed in 1873.

The planting of a tree was the traditional means for celebrating Arbor Day. Here, Kansans appear to be using this holiday to beautify the statehouse grounds.

The Kansas House of Representatives moved into the still unfinished west wing in 1881. A covered board walkway (sometimes referred to as the "Cave of the Winds") connected the two wings until 1884 when work began on the central portion. Here work has just begun on the foundation of the central portion. Near the unfinished capitol is the Topeka Library building. Built in 1883, it shared the Statehouse grounds until it was razed in 1961.

Except for the dome, the central portion of the capitol was largely completed by 1888. Work was interrupted when a crack, caused by the weight of the structure, was discovered in the north entrance. It was rebuilt and disaster averted.

The capitol structure was largely completed by 1890. Plans also called for a fountain in the first floor rotunda; sculptures in the north and south pediments; and a large statue of Ceres, the Roman goddess of vegetation, mounted atop the dome. In 2002 "Ad Astra", the statue of a Kaw Indian, was installed atop the dome.

Officially finished in 1903, statehouse construction took thirty-seven years, cost over $3.2 million, and took the lives of nine workers.

John G. Haskell, a prominent architect from Lawrence, designed the capitol and guided much of its construction during the last four decades of the 19th century. He chose a classical style that was intended to give dignity to the state government. Often the activities within the building did not match the decorum of its architecture.

Both John G. Haskell and George P. Washburn designed parts of the asylum. Its architectural inspiration is essentially Italianate, despite the Neo-Classical pediment on the main building to the left in the photograph.

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