Kentucky State Capitol

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Kentucky State Capitol
National Register of Historic Places
Kentucky state capitol building.JPEG
Kentucky State Capitol (Kentucky)
Paris plan pointer b jms.svg
location 700 Capitol Avenue, Frankfort , Kentucky
Coordinates 38 ° 11 '12.1 "  N , 84 ° 52' 31.1"  W Coordinates: 38 ° 11 '12.1 "  N , 84 ° 52' 31.1"  W.
Built 1905-1909
architect Frank Mills Andrews
Architectural style Beaux Arts
NRHP number [1] 73000804
The NRHP added April 13, 1973

The Kentucky State Capitol is the seat of both government chambers of the Kentucky General Assembly and the Supreme Court of the US state of Kentucky . It is the fourth state capitol in Kentucky since it was founded in 1792.

history

The first two State Capitols burned down in 1813 and 1824, respectively. The third, so-called Old State Capitol , which is still preserved today, was built at the same location . When this became too small, it was decided to build a new state capitol. After lengthy disputes, a government resolution in 1904 confirmed Frankfort as Kentucky's capital instead of the larger cities of Louisville and Lexington .

Originally the new building was to be built centrally. However, the winning design by the renowned architect Frank Mills Andrews was too big for the intended area, so a location south of downtown, across the Kentucky River was chosen. With two wings and a central dome, the building has the typical shape of a state capitol of that time. The facade is clad in Indiana limestone and Vermont granite . The tympanum shows the state of Kentucky as a female figure, surrounded by allegorical depictions of progress, history, law, art, work and wealth. In the interior, in particular, Andrews used examples of French Beaux Arts architecture , such as the Opéra Garnier in Paris.

As early as the 1930s, the first defects in the building fabric were noticeable. The limestone cladding peeled off the facade, the steel structure of the dome was meanwhile dilapidated and the plaster in the rotunda underneath was cracked, so that it had to be closed to visitors for the time being.

environment

Kentucky Governor's Mansion

East of the State Capitol, on the banks of the Kentucky River, is the official residence of the governor ( Kentucky Governor's Mansion ). The building was built between 1912 and 1914 based on designs by the brothers CC and EA Weber. They went back to Marie Antoinette's pleasure palace Petit Trianon in the park of Versailles .

With the completion of the State Capitol it was recognized that the building had become too small over the four years of construction to accommodate all state facilities. Instead of expanding the existing building, it was decided to build an additional new building behind the State Capitol.

Floral clock

The floral clock is located in the central green area . It has a diameter of 10 m and was built in 1961 on the initiative of then Governor Bert T. Combs for $ 50,000 from state reserves after he saw such a watch in Edinburgh . The project earned a lot of criticism and laughter at the time. One of her nicknames is "Big Bert", a reference to Big Ben in London . Comb's worst inner-party rival Albert "Happy" Chandler commented on the project in such a way that in Frankfort the time will no longer be shown in numbers, but in flowers ( "Well, they don't say it's half past 2 in Frankfort anymore. They say It's two petunias past the jimson weed. " , roughly " In future people will no longer say '2 o'clock and 30 minutes', but rather '2 petunias and 30 thorn apples ' " ). Today the flower clock is one of the main attractions in Frankfort.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ National Register Information System . In: National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service . Retrieved March 15, 2006.
  2. ↑ Kentucky State Capitol - Historic Overview - New State Capitol Historical Time Line. Retrieved February 22, 2016 .
  3. ^ New Priorities for a New Commonwealth. Retrieved January 25, 2015 .
  4. ↑ Kentucky's State Capitol. In: David L. Buchta. Retrieved January 25, 2015 .
  5. ^ New Priorities for a New Commonwealth. Retrieved January 25, 2015 .
  6. ↑ Sy Ramsey: On Capitol Grounds: Kentucky Floral Clock Draws Visitors, Puns . In: The Free-Lance Star , August 20, 1962, p. 10. Retrieved January 19, 2015. 
  7. ↑ Floral Clock Strikes Golden . In: WEKU Eastern Kentucky University . Retrieved January 19, 2015.

Web links

Commons : Kentucky State Capitol  - collection of pictures, videos, and audio files