Kentucky State Capitol
Introduction
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The Kentucky State Capitol in Frankfort is the hub of the Commonwealth’s government. The building is in the Beaux Arts style and was completed in 1910. The final cost for the building, landscaping, furniture, power plant and architect fees was $1,820,000. The current building is the fourth Capitol building since Kentucky became a state in 1792. Kentucky's House, Senate and Supreme Court are all housed in the Capitol.
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The Kentucky Capitol Building is fourth for the Commonwealth. It opened in 1910 and was designed in the Beaux Arts style.
Backstory and Context
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Architect Frank Mills designed the building. The interior, including furniture, reflects Mills’ love of classical French styles. The interior consists of copious amounts of Georgia marble, gray Tennessee marble and dark green Italian marble. Spinning off from the rotunda are grand corridors that feature 36 columnns of Vermont granite and art glass skylights.
The exterior of the building features Indiana limestone and Vermont granite. The sculptured pediment of the front portico was designed by Charles Henry Niehaus and carved by Australian sculptor Peter Rossack. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Visitors to the Capitol should be sure to check out the First Lady Doll Collection, the murals depicting Daniel Boone as well as the Lincoln statue in the rotunda, which is one of the stops along Kentucky’s Lincoln Heritage Trail. Also in the rotunda are murals that were completed in 2009 and unveiled in 2010. They are trimmed with a shimmering gilded border. They were created to reflect the diverse social fabric and unique landscapes of Kentucky.
Sources
Kentucky Tourism website, accessed July 11, 2016. http://www.kentuckytourism.com/kentucky-state-capitol/1594/ Kentucky state government website, accessed July 11, 2016. http://capitol.ky.gov/Pages/capitoloverview.aspx