Wisconsin State Capitol

The Wisconsin State Capitol, located in Madison, Wisconsin, houses both chambers of the Wisconsin Legislature along with the Wisconsin Supreme Court and the Office of the Governor. Completed in 1917, the building is the fifth to serve as the Wisconsin capitol since the first territorial legislature convened in 1836 and the third building since Wisconsin was granted statehood in 1848. The Wisconsin State Capitol is the tallest building in Madison, a distinction that has been preserved by a state law that prohibits buildings within one mile of the Capitol from being taller than the columns surrounding the dome. The Capitol is located at the southwestern end of the Madison Isthmus in downtown Madison, bordered by streets that make up the Capitol Square.

First State Capitol, 1838–1863

The first capitol of Wisconsin Territory, upon its separation from Michigan Territory in 1836, was a prefabricated wood-frame council house without heat or water that had been sent hastily to Belmont, the temporary territorial capital. The council house and an associated lodging house still stand and are operated by the Wisconsin Historical Society as the First Capitol Historic Site. Legislators met there for 42 days, tasked with among other things choosing a site for the permanent capital. "Madison City", then an uninhabited plot of land owned by delegate James Duane Doty, was chosen. Until a capitol building had been constructed there, legislative sessions were to be held in Burlington (now part of Iowa).

From the beginning, Doty had laid out the plat of Madison City around a large central square which would house the capitol building. Construction on the first capitol building in Madison began with the laying of the ceremonial cornerstone on July 4, 1837. Work continued on the building on and off until 1844, and the cost of the construction was double the amount the legislature had authorized. To keep the capitol in Madison, the owner of the Madison Hotel offered free room and board to legislators. As conditions improved, the calls to move the legislative seat eventually subsided.

As Wisconsin Territory prepared to become a state, the Capitol was the site of its two constitutional conventions in 1846 and 1847. The motion to reconsider passed by one vote, the total being 39–38. On the second vote, Knowlton and two other assemblymen changed their votes, while some other members who had been absent for the first vote joined in, leading to a total of 41 votes in favor and 41 against. Since the vote was tied, the bill was not adopted, and Madison remained the state capital.

The first phase of the new building, the East Wing, was completed in 1859. The Assembly promptly moved into the East Wing's large chamber, leaving the Senate in the old building. The building was completed in 1869, with the fourth and final North Wing housing the Wisconsin Supreme Court and the State Library. However, the landscaping plan never came to fruition, in part because most of the region's stonemasons were busy rebuilding Chicago after its Great Fire of 1871, and in part because of controversy over the decision to put up an iron fence around the square. Where Cleveland had proposed four fountains and a bandshell, only one fountain was built, a copy of the famed Centennial Fountain in Philadelphia.

Expansion, 1882–1884

Finding that the building had again become inadequate in size, the legislature appropriated $200,000 in 1882 (equivalent to $ in ) to expand the north and south wings of the Capitol. Witnesses to the disaster included a young Frank Lloyd Wright, who later wrote that the experience continued to haunt him throughout his life and his career as an architect. The inquest into the cause of the accident was led by Dane County district attorney and future Governor Robert M. La Follette. Prominent architectural firms such as McKim, Mead & White and George B. Post & Sons were invited to submit designs, but declined due to the project's small size and low budget. One who did take an interest was Cass Gilbert, previously the architect of the Minnesota State Capitol. UW engineering professor and architect Allan Conover was responsible for choosing an architect, and in November 1904, he selected Cass Gilbert. However, competing architect Henry C. Koch and a state senator who was friends with Koch accused Gilbert of getting the job by corrupt means. Offended by the accusations, Gilbert gave up and did not pursue the opportunity further. Post's design for the Capitol was substantially similar to a design he had come up with for a "Museum of Living History" in New York City, proposed in 1899 but never built. This completed, excavation of the foundation began on October 12. Laying of the first stone of the new Capitol, a one-ton block of Woodbury granite, was delayed several times but ultimately occurred on August 20, 1907. The west wing was completed in time for the opening session of the 49th Wisconsin Legislature on January 13, 1909, although some assemblymen were unhappy with the small size of the new chamber and asked to switch places with the Senate.

Construction of the second phase, the east wing housing the state supreme court and other offices, ran from 1908 to 1910. It was proposed that the old Capitol's damaged dome would be donated to the University, restored, and placed on top of Main Hall (now known as Bascom Hall), but this offer was rescinded when it was determined that the dome was too heavy for the building to support.

Work on the south wing, housing the Senate chamber, began in 1909 Governor Francis E. McGovern proudly hosted a Conference of Governors in the mostly-finished building in November 1914, showing off to the other 47 states what McGovern believed was the most complete state government facility in the nation.

The building was topped out when the statue of Wisconsin was hoisted onto its pedestal atop the dome on July 20, 1914. Interior work on the Capitol dome, and the installation of the Resources of Wisconsin mural, was completed in time for the opening of the 52nd Wisconsin Legislature on January 13, 1915.

The final portion of the building, the north wing, began construction in 1914

Restoration

thumb|upright|[[Scaffolding covers the southeast side of the rotunda during the restoration of the building's exterior. The surrounding park, shown here hosting Taste of Madison in 2000, is the location for many downtown events.]]

From 1988 to 2002, the capitol underwent a renovation and restoration project costing $158.8 million (equivalent to $ million in ). The project was performed wing by wing, the same as the original construction of the capitol. The purpose of the project was to convert the capitol into a modern working building, while restoring and preserving its original 1917 appearance. Remodeling projects of the 1960s and 70s had introduced features out of character with the architecture of the building, such as dropped ceilings, movable partitions and fluorescent light fixtures, and many original decorative stencils were painted over. The restoration project returned public spaces to their original appearance. Original decorative stencils were repaired. Stairs which had been sealed during the 1970s were uncovered. The exterior granite was cleaned and repaired by workers who rappelled down from the dome. The renovation plan also included integrating modern technology into the original architecture. Electrical, mechanical (such as plumbing and heating), and communications systems were upgraded; asbestos was removed, and air conditioning was added. The Capitol basement floor was lowered two feet to provide additional usable office space. Legislative offices were rebuilt as two-room suites (originally legislators did not have offices in the capitol, only their desks in the Senate and Assembly chambers). Modern office furniture was designed to look like the original oak furniture.

A Wisconsin state law enacted in 1921 forbade any building higher than from being erected on any of the blocks surrounding the Capitol Square, "to prevent damage to the state capitol building because of fire hazard". The Madison Capital Times editorial board supported the measure, not only because of the fire hazard but also to prevent "the establishment of a sordid and jagged sky line around the capitol."

The law blocked construction of the proposed Belmont Hotel and the Hotel Loraine, whose developers sued the state. The Wisconsin Supreme Court struck down the law in May 1923, on the grounds that it was an unconstitutional taking without just compensation, and the city of Madison was forced to issue permits for the construction of the two hotels. This law was upheld by the state supreme court, but the Belmont and Loraine hotels were grandfathered in because they had been issued valid construction permits in June. Both hotels opened in 1924, but no new buildings over the limit would be permitted. Mayor George J. Forster promised the legislature that the city would "take care of any tall-building proposals near the Square which would detract from the Capitol."

By 1989, this local ordinance blocked buildings taller than 10 stories within one mile (1.6 km) of the Capitol. In May 1989, Madison mayor Paul Soglin said he would consider the possibility of removing the ordinance, arguing that allowing taller buildings would help to revitalize downtown Madison. In response, state assemblyman William Lorge introduced a bill that would block construction of any building taller than the exterior columns supporting the Capitol dome within four miles (6.4 km) of the Capitol. Lorge said that he would "study the area thoroughly", then modify the bill before passage to establish a specific height limit for every part of the region on a "block-by-block, hill-by-hill basis".

The final bill, enacted in April 1990 and remaining in force today, requires that "no portion of any building or structure located within one mile of the center of the state capitol building may exceed the elevation of 1,032.8 feet [314.8 m] above sea level". This matches the elevation of the base of the pillars surrounding the Capitol dome.

Fossils

Naturally occurring fossils are found throughout the capitol:

Starfish: North wing, left grand stairs, 1st to 2nd floor, fourth step from bottom
Coral: West wing, second floor, railing overlooking central corridor, outside of Assembly chamber
Nautiloid: North wing, second floor, left of north hearing room entrance
Gastropod: West wing, left grand stairs; 1st to 2nd floor railing, above 9th step from top
Ammonoid: North wing, second floor, north hearing room
Bryozoan: South wing, second floor, left grand stairs, top step
Burrows: Northwest, second floor, wall to right room 225 NW
Brachiopods: East wing, ground floor, pillars near entrance

Images

File:Wicapitol 1915.jpg|The current building in 1915

File:Wisconsin State Capitol as viewed from the Inn on the Park Best Western hotel.jpg|Capitol dome

File:Lady Wisconsin.jpg|Wisconsin by Daniel Chester French

File:WiscCap5AP.jpg|North pediment by Attilio Piccirilli

File:WiscCap3AAW.jpg|South pediment, Virtues and Traits of Character by Adolph Weinman

File:WiscCap2.jpg|East pediment by Karl Bitter

File:WiscCap4.jpg|West pediment by Karl Bitter

File:Madison Capitol 2.jpg|Rotunda floor

File:Wisconsin State Capitol dome interior.jpg|Dome interior

File:Secretary Pompeo Delivers Remarks in the Senate Chamber of the Wisconsin State Capitol (50378281008).jpg|Wisconsin State Senate chambers

File:Interior view - Wisconsin Supreme Court - DSC03163.JPG|Wisconsin Supreme Court chambers

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References

External links

Wisconsin State Capitol National Historic Landmark Nomination
Wisconsin State Capitol Historic Structure Report (1995–2005)
Information on the State Capitol from the State of Wisconsin