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The Capitol-The East Wing
The
Cornerstone was laid October 17, 1866. It was yellow limestone placed in the northeast corner
of the building (now east wing). According to one, the stone "...under the skillful manipulation
of the workmen, presents a beautiful appearance..." The Topeka Weekly Leader described the ceremony
as a "day to be long remembered for the pleasing associations which cluster around it, for it
marks another milestone in Kansas history which passers-by will read years hence when we shall
have shuffled off this mortal coil and have gone down into that bourne from whence no traveler
returns."
The foundation was erected, but because of both a severe winter and the fact that this sandstone was a form of shale, it had crumbled to a mass of mud by 1867. One source opined, "two emanate scientists had approved it for building material, but they got their eyes opened when protests began pattering about their heads like hail on a tin roof.... It cost the state $40 000 to put in this foundation and a like amount to take it out.” The sandstone foundation was replaced by limestone from Geary County, Kansas. Some newspapers suggested that “the cornerstone crumbled because the names of state officials had been chiseled into it.” Its location was unknown until uncovered by major building repairs in 1950.
In December, 1869 the state officers were moved from Old Constitution Hall, now 427-429 Kansas Avenue, and the legislature of 1870 met in the new Capitol. The Senate and the House of Representatives both met in the hall, now used as a Senate Chamber, with a wall dividing the room. The East Wing was completed in 1873.
Capitol Square stood well out over the edge of a great prairie in the 1870's. A stone fence was built for protection against the village cows and other animals. As Topeka grew there was a clamor for the removal of the “unsightly stone fence.” Citizens insisted is should be replaced with an “up-to-date fence,” so a “five-board pig tight fence” was constructed around Capitol Square (see photo, bottom edge).
On April 22, 1875, Topeka mayor T. J. Anderson proclaimed Kansas Arbor Day. Topeka citizens responded by planting approximately 800 trees on Capitol Square. Regrettably, however, most died that summer. Droughts and tornadoes also caused damage, and little survived from the Mayor's efforts.
Capitol Building
The East Wing