More than an office building — a work of art
By Douglas Engh
Staff Reporter
When the Nebraska State Capitol
Building was completed in 1932, in the
midst of the Depression, the legislature
was able to stand back and boast,
“paid in full.”
At a cost of about $10 million, the
construction of the statehouse was
financed through a "pay as you go”
plan. A mill levy was assessed from
1919, when construction was first con
sidered, until its completion 12 years
later, and provided all the needed
funds for construction.
Designed by Bertram G. Goodhue,
whose entry beat nine other proposals,
it was considered a radical departure
from the standard large central dome
designs common at the time. He sub
stituted instead a 400-foot tower using
Gothic, Egyptian, and American Indian
designs, among others. He incorporated
more than 40 varieties of limestone,
granite, marble, and slate.
Goodhue also provided leadership in
creating a cooperative design effort
between painters, sculptors and stone
masons and the poets commissioned to
write the carved inscriptions found
throughout the building. His intent
was to create an integrated look rather
than ornamentation that appeared to
be simply applied to the finished walls
and ceilings.
The present statehouse is Nebrska’s
third. The first, built in 1867, needed
renovation after only six years because
of the use of inferior materials. It was
used until 1881, when the second
capitol was completed on the site of
the present building. The second capitol
was used for 40 years before the state
government outgrew it.
The capitol building was constructed
encircling the previous one, which
remained in use until 1925 when it was
razed to make way for the tower. By
then, the wings of the new building
were completed and occupied.
In 1912, a memorial to Abraham
Lincoln was added to the west of the
Capitol Building. It was designed by
Daniel French, a sculptor who went on
to design the Lincoln Memorial in
Washington, D.C.
Over the years as Lincoln grew,
downtown development was regulated
to limit building size so as not to
compete with the statehouse in promin
ence. In addition, Lincoln has tried to
achieve an "axial development" which
was suggested by Goodhue. He proposed
that his design be central to the city's
growth and that viewing vistas be
created and accounted for as the city
grew. These vistas are as near the
capitol as Centennial Mall which links
the capitol to the university campus,
and as far as Pioneers Park which has
three tree-lined vistas of the capitol. At
the park's entrance, a life size bronze
buffalo points towards the capitol. In
east Lincoln, Holmes Lake golf course
has been designed to provide another
scenic view.
Aside from the capitol building being
a sculptural monument, it is also the
seat of state government. After its
completion, it housed all state agencies
until the size and number of these
agencies became so great that down
town office space was rented to aceom
modate the overflow.
Bob Ripley, manager of Capitol
Restoration and Promotion, said this
went on until the summer of 1976 when
l—"■■III.M M, -
the new State Office Building was
opened. These agencies, including the
Department of Revenue, moved from
the capitol and consolidated in the
State Office Building. The remaining
agencies in the capitol have been given
more space to handle their own expan
sion needs.
"Most of the floor space has been
taken up for legislative needs,” said
Ripley, "such as senators’ offices."
The tower was originally designed to
house the state’s legal library. "But
with the advent of microfilm and micro
fische, the sp ice has never been fully
needed, so the floors house a variety of
newer state agencies," Ripley said.
Office space is still shuffled around
in order to accommodate expansions,
but Ripley said, "There’s been a slow
down in the past 10 years with the
arranging.”
Restoration work on the eapitoi has
been completed on the large bronze
doors on the east side. Work will soon
be completed on matching doors on the
west side.
Ripley said a photo survey is being
planned to photograph all aspects of
the capitol building. The photographs
will be kept in an inventory for use on
postcards, brochures and an updated
historical booklet which is to be pro
duced soon.
Free tours of the building are con
ducted every' half hour Monday through
Friday beginning at 9 a.m. with the last
one starting at 4 p.m. No tours are given
at 11:30 and noon. Saturday tours are at
10 and 11 a.m. and 1, 2,3 and 4 p.m. and
Sundays at 1, 2, 3 and 4 p.m. The 25
minute tour meets at the north entrance
and covers the history of the building,
its mosiaes, original artwork and
sculpt ures. During non-summer months,
tours run hourly.
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