{"id":9161,"date":"2013-05-07T22:00:10","date_gmt":"2013-05-08T02:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/?p=9161"},"modified":"2024-12-04T17:51:39","modified_gmt":"2024-12-04T22:51:39","slug":"rock-solid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/?p=9161","title":{"rendered":"Rock Solid"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"07<\/a>Linda Burton posting from Indianapolis, Indiana <\/i>\u2013 \u201cI know you are very smart,\u201d the tour guide said, her lapel-mike echoing her voice in the great hall, \u201cYour teachers are very good, and you have come here today to learn more about your state. I am proud of you.\u201d \u201cRapt attention\u201d may sound a bit clich\u00e9d, but the fourth-grade class circle-seated on the rotunda\u2019s marble floor was seriously paying attention. I felt pretty smart myself, and right at home; there was something in the air, was it the light filtering through the colorful art-glass dome of the rotunda? Or the pleasant musty smell of the oaks doors facing the spacious hall \u2013 offices of the Governor, the Secretary of State, the \"07<\/a>Treasurer \u2013 knock to come in, communicate. Upstairs, on the balcony, I passed a window-in-the-wall that allowed a view straight into the Senate chambers; a passing staff member explained \u2013 \u201cWe want people to know what\u2019s going on. You can watch from the hallway or the gallery above.\u201d No session today, but the Chamber doors were open; \u201cYou\u2019re welcome to go in,\u201d she urged, \u201cAnd don\u2019t miss the Supreme Court room.\u201d I followed her suggestion, noting the \u201cActivities For Kids\u201d bulletin board just outside the Supreme Court door. Inside I settled in a wooden chair to rest a moment and opened the booklet I\u2019d picked up at the Visitors Desk. I read the chapter titles first: A Center of Civic Life. In Character With The Parthenon. In Clear Arrangement. The First One Hundred Years. Restoration At Its Best. A Solid Foundation<\/i>. I flipped to the last sentence on the last page: \u201cIndiana\u2019s State House has a rock-solid foundation.\u201d My interest was thoroughly piqued by now, I decided to begin at the beginning. <\/p>\n

Chapter 1, A Center of Civic Life<\/i><\/p>\n

\"07<\/a>Indiana\u2019s State House, a building of outstanding architectural beauty, has served as a center of civic life in Indiana since 1888. Elected and appointed representatives of all three branches of government work at the State House. The governor\u2019s office is here. The Indiana General Assembly, our citizen legislature, has chambers here for the Senate and for the House of Representatives. The State Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals are also located in this building. <\/i><\/p>\n

A nice introduction, I thought, and it\u2019s quite unique to find a building that continues to house all three branches of state government. I kept reading.<\/p>\n

This is a place, too, where people come to commemorate individuals and events from our past, as well as to celebrate the present and the future. Indeed, the State House is a symbol not just of government but of the Hoosier State and its people.<\/i><\/p>\n

Chapter 2, In Character With The Parthenon<\/i><\/p>\n

Ah, here\u2019s the part where I found out about all the capitols ever used in Indiana. I\u2019d already learned that Indiana Territory was formed in 1800, with the capital in Vincennes. I knew that the territorial capital was moved to Corydon in 1813, and that Indiana became a state in 1816. I\u2019d written a post (May 1) about the treacherous journey of State Treasurer Samuel Merrill as he transported state documents when the seat of government moved to Indianapolis in 1825. Corydon\u2019s statehouse was a two-story building that had been the Harrison County Courthouse; in the new planned city of Indianapolis, the legislature met in the Marion County Courthouse. By 1831 the General Assembly authorized construction of an official state capitol building, to be funded by the sale of lots in the ten-year-old town of 1,900 residents. The General Assembly contracted with New York architects Town & Davis to build a capitol that would \u201ccorrespond in character\u2026with the Parthenon.\u201d Town and Davis added a dome to the design, though some pointed out that Greeks did not have domed buildings; one disgruntled Hoosier called it a \u201cGreek temple with a cheese box on top.\u201d Most were pleased, however, and it was completed on schedule in 1835.<\/p>\n

\"07<\/a>One local newspaper deemed it \u201ctruly splendid,\u201d and so it must have seemed to many whose town streets were \u201cknee-deep with mud\u201d when it rained\u2026.The completed capitol\u2026rose two stories from a foundation of blue limestone, and its brick exterior walls were stuccoed to resemble granite. A zinc roof topped the building and the dome\u2026.The General Assembly charged the state librarian, Nathaniel Bolton, with the care of the Capitol. In addition to his duties of tending to the library, he maintained the fence and gates, trimmed the trees\u2026and mowed the lawn. His wife Sarah, a poet and advocate of woman\u2019s rights, sewed carpets for the building.<\/i><\/p>\n

By the end of the Civil War Greek Revival architecture was out of favor and the building had begun to deteriorate. The soft limestone foundation was failing; the stucco was chipping off; the ceiling in the Representative Hall collapsed. Indianapolis was growing; by 1877 the population was almost 75,000 and the city had been nicknamed \u201cCrossroads of America\u201d because so many rail lines met at Union Station. The legislature decided a new capitol was necessary; the decision was supported by Indiana citizens. The old capitol had witnessed many history-making events, but it had served its purpose; it soon would be replaced by a grander, sturdier, structure.<\/p>\n

Chapter 3, In Clear Arrangement<\/i><\/p>\n

In 1878 the submission of Edwin May, an Indianapolis architect, was selected for the state\u2019s new capitol building.<\/p>\n

May estimated that his building would cost $1,792,911.60; the legislature mandated that construction costs not exceed $2 million. May titled his design Lucidus Ordo, Latin for \u201cclear arrangement.\u201d Shaped like a Greek cross, the structure featured a central dome and rotunda. The main floor held the governor\u2019s and other executive and administrative offices. On the second floor, May located the chamber for the House of Representatives on the east, balanced by the Senate chamber on the west. Offices and other rooms surrounded the open atriums, and the Indiana Supreme Court was located in the north end.<\/i><\/p>\n

\"07<\/a>\u201cJust where I\u2019m sitting right now,\u201d I thought, as I looked around the room. Photographs of former justices peered down at me from the walls; light from the stained glass windows filtered in; the room held a soft glow.<\/p>\n

The interior was designed in the style of the Italian Renaissance. Whenever possible, the plan called for Indiana materials. Wainscoting, doors, and trim were made of Indiana oak, maple, and walnut. Atrium skylights brightened the north and south wings. The central feature of the rotunda was a striking art glass inner dome, primarily in blue tones, suspended below a skylight.<\/i><\/p>\n

Indiana materials were used outside too; the foundation limestone came from quarries near Greensburg and North Vernon. The cornerstone was laid September 28, 1880; contracts for electrical wiring were awarded in 1883. The city\u2019s new electric plant could not produce sufficient power at the time so the chandeliers and sconces first were lit by natural gas. The General Assembly met in the new State House in 1887 to the sounds of construction noise; the building was finished in 1888 within budget \u2013 at just under $2 million.<\/p>\n

By 1888 Hoosiers could look with pride on their new State House\u2026.In that year Indiana was thrust into the national spotlight with the election of Indianapolis attorney Benjamin Harrison as president of the United States. Hoosiers could point to their State House as an example of how a modern state had made a public space both beautiful and practical.<\/i><\/p>\n

Chapter 4, The First One Hundred Years<\/i><\/p>\n

\"07<\/a>Shortly after the State House was built, Finnish Baroness Alexandra Grippenberg stopped in Indianapolis during an American tour and marveled at the building. She observed that \u201cin its halls one can meet people of all kinds.\u201d She found \u201csmall boys with crackers in their hands, men who squirt tobacco juice on the stairs, schoolgirls, tourists, college students, and women dressed in silk.\u201d It was clearly a house for all who called themselves Hoosiers\u2026.In times of extreme distress, when people hoped to capture the attention of the governor or the General Assembly, parades and protests made the State House their focus.<\/i><\/p>\n

Indianapolis grew up around the State House; nearby homes and commercial buildings were replaced by government and office complexes. The Soldiers\u2019 and Sailors\u2019 Monument was erected in 1901, the Federal Courthouse in 1905, the public library in 1917. In 1920 the US Census deemed Indiana an urban state; that same year Julia Nelson was the first woman elected to the General Assembly. In 1940 Robert Brokenburr was the first African American elected to the Indiana Senate; in 1949 the General Assembly passed an act that eliminated segregation in public schools. World Wars took place; the Korean War, Vietnam; cries of patriotism rang in the air; scandals tainted the state\u2019s highest office and a governor resigned; women rallied for Equal Rights.<\/p>\n

Through it all, the Indiana State House stood as a changing but constant sentinel\u2026.It saw many physical changes on its grounds and within its walls in its first hundred years. By the 1980\u2019s its age was showing.<\/i><\/p>\n

Chapter 5, Restoration At Its Best<\/i><\/p>\n

\"07<\/a>The hundredth anniversary of the building proved to be the perfect time for a facelift. A thorough cleanup of the stonework was required both inside and out. Marble and granite columns, pilasters, and capitals in the interior were cleaned and polished to a rich luster. Details of the eight Carrara marble statues in the rotunda became visible for the first time in many years. Woodwork was stripped and repaired, and the finish was restored. Modern-day artisans reproduced handcrafted door moldings and other decorative elements. Three layers of paint hid original stenciling. In recreating the original details, one of the architects noted that \u201cmore than four acres of plaster needed to be hand stenciled.\u201d <\/i><\/p>\n

\"07<\/a>I had already marveled at the stenciling, and the fine details I had spotted on every ceiling and wall. The Supreme Court room, where I was sitting, had somehow managed to escape the modernization that destroyed details in other parts of the building; its historic character had been maintained through all the years. The governor\u2019s office also had remained untouched. The chambers of the General Assembly were remodeled in the 60\u2019s and 70\u2019s to allow for more efficient seating and lighting; during the 1988 restoration they were not restored to their original Victorian character.<\/p>\n

Chapter 6, A Solid Foundation<\/i><\/p>\n

I stood and stretched for a moment, but I had to finish the story. The last chapter was short, but written in highly expressive prose. I share as it was written, with no need for further words.<\/p>\n

Legislators specified a solid foundation of Indiana limestone for Indiana\u2019s State House. Since 1888 it has proved to be a fitting move\u2026.Voices have been heard here locked in political debate\u2026.governors have led the state\u2026.citizen legislators have passed laws\u2026.judges have ruled on the constitutionality of those laws. Ordinary people come to express their opinions\u2026here we exercise our rights and duties as citizens. <\/i><\/p>\n

\"07<\/a>The building\u2019s outstanding architectural beauty has drawn people for cultural and celebratory events too\u2026.its walls have heard the rustling of long silk dresses and jogging suits\u2026.echoed with the swells of music during concerts\u2026.its ground have seen the burst of fireworks in the night sky. We come to the State House to commemorate the past\u2026here we mourn the passing of public figures and remember the efforts of ordinary citizens.<\/i><\/p>\n

This is the house of the citizens of Indiana. It is a building rich in experiences of the commonplace and the uncommon, of ordinary and extraordinary people. History has been made and the future looms at our State House, for it embodies what Indiana has been and will be. Indiana\u2019s State House has a rock-solid foundation.<\/i><\/p>\n

Indiana State Capitol, 200 West Washington Street, 317.233.5293, www.state.in.us\/statehouse<\/a><\/p>\n

Portions of this post are quoted from the publication Indiana\u2019s State House<\/i>, \u00a9 2000 Indiana Historical Bureau, Weintraut & Associates Historians, designed by JMH Corporation, financed in part by Indiana Department of Natural Resources.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Linda Burton posting from Indianapolis, Indiana \u2013 \u201cI know you are very smart,\u201d the tour guide said, her lapel-mike echoing her voice in the great hall, \u201cYour teachers are very good, and you have come here today to learn more about your state. I am proud of you.\u201d \u201cRapt attention\u201d may sound a bit clich\u00e9d, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4587,1728],"tags":[1532,3090,2041],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9161"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9161"}],"version-history":[{"count":22,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9161\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9164,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9161\/revisions\/9164"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9161"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9161"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9161"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}