How old is the minnesota state capitol

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Linda A. Cite Cameron, Linda A. Facebook Twitter. Second State Capitol, Twitter Facebook. Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3. First published: August 9, Last modified: October 20, Bibliography Related Resources Bibliography.

Paul Dispatch , Second Edition, October 8, Primary N2 L. Secondary Gardner, Denis. Web Minnesota Historical Society. Related Images. Pillsbury, John Sargent — Hubbard, Lucius F. Buffington, Leroy Sunderland — Turning Point In , after just ten years in the inefficient second state capitol building, the state begins planning the third state capitol.

Dark oak and deep gold moldings enclose four paintings of Civil War battles in which Minnesota regiments played key roles, featuring portraits of some of their officers. Anthony Falls in present-day Minneapolis , and an treaty signing that opened most of southern Minnesota territory by stripping the Dakota Indians of their land.

While the paintings suited conceptions of history and heroism prevalent in , some Minnesotans of recent decades have been critical of the subject matter and treatment. When the restored Reception Room reopened in , those two paintings were removed for placement and interpretation elsewhere in the building.

The capitol opened in to popular acclaim in Minnesota and national interest in architectural circles. But within a few years there were reports of overcrowding as state government and its departments grew. He maintained an interest in this until the end of his life, even as new state buildings were constructed around sweeping lawns before the capitol building. Time, weather, and politics were hard on the capitol throughout the twentieth century.

Daily use for state business brought wear and tear, while demonstrations like a Depression-era occupation of the Senate chamber by populist protesters strained the fabric of the building. Successive remodelings altered color schemes and furnishings, rarely for the better.

State offices crowded the building to the extent that plywood partitions lined some hallways in the s. Meanwhile the capitol area expanded with new buildings in postwar styles for the revenue, transportation, and veterans departments. The legislature created the Capitol Area Architectural Planning Board in to guide development of the complex and, together with the Minnesota Historical Society, oversee preservation of the capitol at its center.

Restoration efforts began as early as the s to s, a time when the capitol was considered, in the words of art historian Donald R. The building closed for wholesale restoration from to , which included replacement of hundreds of pieces of marble with stone from the original Georgia quarry, repair of plaster walls, cleaning of murals and decorative paintings, and uncovering the skylights.

The work also included reconfiguring many spaces for new public uses, as well as the introduction of twenty-first-century data infrastructure. Christen, Barbara S. New York: W. Norton and Company, Gardner, Denis P. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press, The second capitol building stood on the site of the first capitol for fifty-five years until its demolition in The loss of the first capitol prompted quick action.

On March 3, Governor John S. Pillsbury received an estimate from architect Abraham M. Architect Leroy S. Buffington won the contract. Exceeding the budget carried a misdemeanor penalty. Buffington designed the new three-story building in the shape of a Greek cross. It featured a foundation of cut stone and walls of red brick with Dresbach sandstone trim.

Each wing measured feet in length. The central dome reached feet in height. The main entrance on Wabasha Street opened onto the first floor, where the governor, attorney general, auditor, treasurer, and secretary of state had offices. Two iron stairways led to the second floor from the rotunda.