NEWS
Unique Capitol sees many transformations
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Also by Aubre Andrus:
- UW prepares for Halloween (October 20, 2005)
- City prepares for Halloween (October 20, 2005)
- In-Depth: State Street's balancing act (September 1, 2005)
- In-Depth: Destination: class (November 3, 2005)
Related Stories:
- Majestic Theater still iconic in downtown (March 4, 2005)
- Gas leak cause of shortened day at state Capitol (February 19, 2007)
- Groups honor Capitol building (April 17, 2006)
- Eleven-story condos to locate on Wilson Street (March 23, 2004)
- Madison celebrates sequicentennial (January 17, 2005)
by Aubre Andrus
Thursday, January 27, 2005
This is the second part in a series detailing Madison’s sesquicentennial year and the times and changes the city has seen.
The white glow from the state Capitol building lights State Street every night in Madison. But few University of Wisconsin students have stepped inside or know the story behind one of Wisconsin’s most notable landmarks. It took over 150 years, billions of dollars and three different constructions to make the Capitol building what it is today.
The first Madison Capitol was completed in 1838 for $60,000. The city of Madison continued to grow for the next 20 years and the building soon had to be replaced. Construction of a larger second building began in the fall of 1857 and continued until the dome was completed in 1869.
In 1882, two wings were added to the building for the State Historical Society, the Supreme Court and the State Library. According to Stuart Levitan, Madison radio host and history buff, the South Wing collapsed Nov. 8, 1883, while under construction, killing eight construction workers. That same decade, someone committed suicide inside the Capitol building, Levitan added.
A fire destroyed a large part of the Capitol’s interior in 1904. Officials determined a bigger building was needed to accommodate the overcrowding conditions and to replace the damaged areas.
The first Capitol tours were given in 1915. Free morning and afternoon tours are still offered year round, and, during the summer, the museum and observation deck on the sixth floor are open, offering a panoramic view from the only Capitol building built on an isthmus.
The third and final Capitol building was built wing by wing, and by 1917, all four wings and the rotunda were completed for a total of $7.2 million.
At the top of the Capitol dome, over 200 feet in the air, a statue named “Wisconsin” was added. “Wisconsin,” designed by Daniel Chester French, is gilded with 22-carat gold leaf and cost over $20,000 at the time.
During college football season in the late 1930s, a 12-foot-high electric “W” with 250 red light bulbs sat on the Capitol dome, supporting the Badgers on the weekends. By the 1940s, the “W” was removed from the dome to help conserve energy during World War II.
There was no safe drinking water in the Capitol building until it was renovated in 1968. Before the renovation, the plumbing system pulled water directly from Lake Mendota.
The rotunda was renovated in 1997 for $8.9 billion. An Edwin Blashfield mural is currently displayed in the rotunda. The only granite dome in the United States tops the rotunda.
The rotunda is the home of the holiday Balsam Fir tree in December. The 40-foot Capitol Holiday Tree is decorated with approximately 700 feet of garland, more than 2,000 lights and more than 1,000 handmade ornaments made by citizens throughout the state.
The Capitol building was officially named a National Historic Landmark in 2001. Renovation and restoration of the building totaled almost $150 million.
Today, the inside of the Capitol building is filled with murals, hand-carved furniture, glass mosaics and marble floors. The governor’s conference room was styled after the Doge’s Palace in Venice, and the State Supreme Court room features German and Italian-style décor.
