Open Veils · Answer
When was the Kansas capital building built?
The Kansas State Capitol took 37 years to build, with construction beginning in October 1866 and officially completing in 1903. The project unfolded in distinct phases across multiple decades, involving two separate architects and different limestone sources for each wing. The final cost was documented at $3,200,588.92.
Evidence
- The land for Capitol Square was donated by Cyrus K. Holliday through his Topeka Town Company in 1862, though ground did not break until 1866.
- The East Wing cornerstone was laid first in October 1866, using native limestone quarried from Geary County.
- The central linking building was not authorized until 1881, with construction beginning in 1886.
- A $322 million restoration project running from 2000 to 2013, documented by EverGreene Architectural Arts, revealed that decades of practical modifications — overpainted stonework, altered metalwork, modernized lighting systems — had obscured much of the original decorative program.
- Master architect Edward Townsend Mix designed the original structure, with John G. Haskell later revising the wings — a layered authorship that mirrors the building's fragmented construction timeline.