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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 28, 1989)
S 2^&N^S^ ^i Try Our Soft Clrthwash for a Shiny New Car Look. . j ( fdffftrlMr) i I Hours: I 8am-6pm Monday-IYiday Expire October 31, its* I | 8am-5pm Saturday; 9am-4pm Sunday Not with my other offer. | ROLLING ROCK warm case.—.....* 9.99 (BUSCH warm case...«.,..$6.49 ■MOOrWV OLD MILWAUKEE ••• warm case.$6.29 I OLYMPIA .warmer.$5.99 | Tosti Asti Spumante . 750ml.... $4.99 H. Walker Peach Schnapps .. 750ml.... $4.99 Bacardi Rum. Liter. $7.49 Seagram's Wine Coolers 4pk.2 for $5 and much more thru 10/4/89 ....Please Drink Responsibly! A 27th & Vine | By Mark Lage Senior Reporter In June 1867, the commission chosen to pick a site for Ne braska's state capitol knew that it had three to choose from - Yankee Hill, Ashland and Lan caster Village. But what they didn't know was that the main factors in their decision-making process would be ice cream and mosquitoes. The commission left Omaha early that summer and headed west. When they came to Yan kee Hill, a group waiting to re ceive them served ice cream - an expense considered by the commission to be obvious brib ery - and thus lost its shot at being chosen capitol. Then they moved on to Ash land, where there were just too many mosquitoes. So the little village of Lancas ter (later to swell into the city of Lincoln) “won by default,* said Roxanne Smith, tourism coordi nator at the capitol. “Well, sort of.” Lancaster did have its good points, Smith said: it was a nice site and nearby salt marshes gave it the potential for industry. In addition, the owners of the four-block site the commission picked were willing to sell it. "The capitol of Nebraska has always been at the same loca tion,” Smith said. This area is the square piece of land which to day is bordered by 14th, 16th, J and L streets. Nebraska’s first capitol build ing was constructed on the site in that same year, and lasted until 1888, when it suffered a rather unglamorous fate for a building. .. "It fell down,” Smith said. "It was very poorly constructed.” The second capitol building suffered from the same deficien cies, in addition to being out grown almost immediately, and i in January 1919 the state legisla- . ture passed a bill providing for the construction of the current i building. I On June 26, 1920, architect i Bertram G. Goodhue’s design was chosen over those of ten competitors, and beginning in 1922, the building was con structed in four phases. The offi cial groundbreaking took place on April 15 of that year. Phase 1 lasted until 1924, and involved the construction of the north and south sides of the building. State employees watched on from the old capitol, which was left standing until Phase 2,1925 and 1926, when it was tom down and state opera tions were moved into the com Eleted portions of the new uilding. In 1928 Phase 3 undertook the construction of the east chamber and the tower, and in 1930 Phase 4 added the west chamber, completing the main structure of today’s building by 1932. Missing at this time were the interior mosaics and murals. Blank spaces were left to be filled in later. The total cost for construction fell just under $10 million. The final phase also saw the Sower make its trip to the top of the building. The figure — 19 1/ 2 feet tall, seven-eighths of it being made out of thick bronze - was designed and made in New York by sculptor Lee Lawrie, an associate of Goodhue. It then was shipped by train to Nebraska. On April 24, 1930, several thousand people gathered to watch its ascent, and despite its weight of nearly 91/2 tons, a steel derrick brought it to the top of the tower in less than 15 minutes. The main building itself has a steel super-structure, with ma sonry-brick load-bearing walls, Smith said. All of the masonry brick was made in Lincoln. It is faced with Indiana limestone, and ornamental marble from various quarries across the United States, she said. Original mosaic art in the building is the work of Hildreth Meiere, and was fashioned by artisans from white Italian and black Belgian marble. Art works on the capitol building’s inside walls are by various artists, and were chosen through a series of Eight blank spaces remain on the walls of The Memorial Hall, Smith said, and the Capitol Mu rals Commission currently is working on writing the design competition to fill these spaces. Then, except for a landscap ing plan, the building actually wul be finished, Smith said. "It is made out of the finest materials that could be found at the time,” Smith said. “There’s nothing modem that can im prove it." She said the main goal now is o maintain the quality that is tlready there. “Restoration and preserva ion are very important," she ►aid. “It’s an ongoing mainte nance and restoration process.” The building has had only minor structuralproblems. Early in the building’s life, The Prome nade Deck experienced surfac ing problems, but those were worked out, "and now it works just fine," Smith said. The main problem that still exists involves the roofs of the building. They are made out of :opper, Smith said, and require a • great deal of soldering ana other maintenance care to Keep them in solid sheets. Therefore, when it rains, "the roof does leak," Smith said. Other than that, the building has had few problems. "It’s very well constructed,” Smith said. Unlike Nebraska’s first two capitol buildings, this one “will stand for a thousand years." The construction of the tower of the State Capitol in 1928. -- <<~tcy W HU»4«JloS5r The State Capitol under construction. The new capitol was built around the old. I Capitol’s facelift continues\ ry nm Nemeth Suff Reporter Beauty and utility enhancement are the objectives of Bob Ripley, general coordinator of the restora tion and renovation projects at the State Capitol. Thcxigh general restoration and beautification projects at the State Capitol continue to be undertaken and completed, a major interior renovation is under way that will provide meeting rooms, office space, new computers and two new hearing rooms, while restor ing some of the original design intentions. On the first floor, 30,000 square feet will be freed when the data processing department moves out. An additional 50,000 square feet will be used for the projects. The two new hearing rooms will be built on the east side and will be modeled upon the west side hear ing rooms, including theater-style seats and two walnut tables. Another upcoming project will be to put eight 12-loot by 7-foot murals in the octagon room on the 14th floor. Ripley said the Capitol Mural Commission is in the process of developing a competition to select an artist or artists t© finish the eight murals specified for the 14th floor. The thematic consultant during the construction of the Capitol, Hartley Burr Alexander, specified the themes for all of the murals. He dedicated the l4th-floor murals to those who gave their lives in con flict to the state or nation. Ripley said four of the murals are dedi cated to military conflicts and four for civil conflicts. He said those themes will be followed. The restoration of the artwork on the east chamber doors was completed in June. The restoration included cleaning dirt and grime build-up from the painted surface of the aoor and the bronze hard ware, Ripley said. After cleaning, a protective coating was painted on the surface. The steel window restoration was a longer and more involved process. Ripley said that only 13 windows can be done a year dur ing the warm months. The workers remove the paint and glass from the window, install insulating glass and then repaint a protective layer over the bare metal. Finally, they repaint the metal and reinstall the window. One other restoration project just under way is fixing leaks on the walking decks, Ripley said. Restoration is a team project, Ripley said Charles DeVries, build ing conservation specialist, works at adopting “new technologies into the historic fabric of the building," Ripley said. He added that Tom Kaspar, restoration architect, coor dinates beautification projects. “There’s just a lot of work going on," Ripley said. “There always is, but there’ll be even more with this • upcoming renovation.” julj Oy Workmen cover an empty window opening with plastic to pre pare for sandblasting the window frame. Are You Losing | Money On Your 9 Checking Account? 9 You're not getting the most for your money if you're not earning interest on your checking account or if you're still paying to write and order checks. At First Commerce Savings, you'll receive: •INTEREST PAID on Student Accounts. •NO Minimum Balance Requirement (However, $100 initial balance required to * open the account.) •FREE introductory standard order. •24 Hour Access with your First Commerce Card. •FRIC insured up to $100,000. •Student I.D. required. 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