by Woo-hoo, state capitol number 13 is in the books with our visit to the Kansas State Capitol, located in Topeka! Topeka has served as the capital since the territory became a state in 1861
Kansas used a “pay as you go” system for building the capitol, so the East went up first starting in 1866, followed by the West wing beginning in 1879. Construction began on the center building connecting the two wings in 1886, with the dome not getting underway until 1889. At a cost of $3.2 million, the building was declared officially done in 1903 – 37 years after it began!
However, it took another 85 years before approval was obtained for a sculpture to stand atop the dome. The selection was Ad Astra, 22 foot sculpture by Richard Bergen, which depicts a Kansa Native American with bow and arrow pointed at the North Star. The name derives from the state motto “Ad Astra Per Aspera”, which means “to the stars through difficulties.”
The capitol underwent a major renovation when $120 million was authorized in 2001. That project finished up 13 years later, but which time the costs had swelled to $332 million! Ouch!
This capitol tour gets high marks for offering access to the top of the dome. Oddly, only Doug and I showed up for this part of the tour, which involved climbing 296 steps from the fifth floor to get to the walkway outside the base of the dome. Many of these steps were suspended in the air and were emphatically not recommended for those with a fear of heights!
Click here to find out how Doug thinks the Kansas State Capitol stacks up to the others we’ve visited so far!
