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The Capitol - The West Wing
The
Board of Statehouse Commissioners was recreated in 1879 and work was started on the west wing.
The legislature made an appropriation of $60,000 and provided a one-half mil levy for west wing
construction.
The west wing is architecturally similar to the east wing, except it is four feet wider and six feet longer. The limestone used was from Cottonwood Falls, Kansas. By 1880 this wing was enclosed. The House of Representatives met in the new hall, although "it was unplastered and ... had ... a temporary roof." A covered bridge, referred to as the "Cave of the Winds" was built from the Senate to the House for messages to be taken from one to the other.
The cost of the west wing was about $3,000,000 compared to $500,000 for the west wing. The lower cost of the newer west wing was attributed to the depreciation of the currency after the Civil War.
Capitol Building
The West Wing