Wisconsin State Capitol

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Capitol Restoration/Renovation

The Capitol recently underwent a 14-year renovation and restoration project. The project was undertaken wing by wing mirroring the original construction of the Capitol. The renovation started in 1988 and was finished in 2002 at a total cost of $158.8 million. The purpose of the project was to convert the Capitol into a modern working building while restoring and preserving its original 1917 appearance. Remodeling projects of the 1960's and 70's had introduced features out of character with the architecture of the Capitol such as drop ceilings, movable partitions and fluorescent light fixtures, and many original decorative stencils were painted over. The restoration project returned public spaces to their original appearance. Original decorative stencils have been repaired or recreated; gold leaf was replaced or restored, and marble surfaces were cleaned. Murals were cleaned and conserved in the public spaces. Skylights over the third and fourth floor interior offices and stairs which had been sealed in the 1970's were uncovered. The exterior granite was cleaned and repaired by workers who rappelled down from the dome. The renovation plan also included integrating modern technology into the original architecture. Electrical, mechanical (such as plumbing and heating) and communications systems were upgraded; asbestos was removed, and air conditioning was added. The Capitol basement floor was actually lowered two feet to provide additional usable office space. Legislative offices were rebuilt as two-room suites (originally legislators did not have offices in the Capitol, only their desks in the Senate and Assembly Chambers). Modern office furniture was designed to look like the original oak furniture.

Wisconsin Capitol sculpture program

Architect Post designed an elaborate sculpture program for the building. Initially the statue of Wisconsin on the top of the dome was promised to Helen Farnsworth Mears but when Daniel Chester French agreed to produce the finial figure, the commission was switched to him. This work, often referred to as the "Golden Lady," consists of an allegorical figure reminiscent of Athena, dressed in Greek garb, and wearing a helmet topped by a badger, the Wisconsin state totem. In the left hand she holds a globe with an eagle perched on top of it. Across her chest is a large W, for Wisconsin, a detail probably only viewable from an airplane.

Post's original concept for the building called for four small domes to be placed at the foot of the large one, but at some point the plans were changed and the domes were replaced by four sculptural groups by Karl Bitter. These groups (again, in Greek clothing) symbolized "Faith", "Strength", "Prosperity" and "Abundance".

Each of the four wings of the building is fronted by a pediment whose figures relate to the principal activities that were to take place within. Thus the east wing, housing the Supreme Court, features a pediment by Bitter entitled "Law", the south has Adolph Alexander Weinman's "Virtues and Traits of Character", for the wing containing the State Senate. Bitter's other pediment, the west, is "Agriculture", while Attilio Piccirilli's "Wisdom and Learning of the World" adorns the north pediment.

The carving of all these sculptures is attributed to the Piccirilli Brothers.

Trivia

*Some of the stones used in the building contain fossils. The second flight of stairs in the north wing, on the left side of the grand staircase, fourth step from the bottom, contains a starfish fossil. [http://carl-thomas.net/friends/2003-09%20madison/3466.jpg]
*The remains of Old Abe, the Civil War eagle of the 8th Wisconsin regiment, now depicted on the shoulder patch of the 101st Airborne, were destroyed in the 1904 fire. A replica tribute sits above the Wisconsin State Assembly floor.
*The wings' pillars are draped in wire meshing to prevent birds from nesting in the ornate carvings.
*The Capitol has: 705 rooms, 714 exterior windows, 1608 doors, and 2782 steps.
*On May 5, 2008 the Capitol was used as a location for the film Public Enemies starring Johnny Depp and Christian Bale.

References

*Dennis, James M., "Karl Bitter Architectural Sculptor: 1867 - 1915", University of Wisconsin Press 1967
*Lombardo, Josef Vincent, "Atilio Piccirilli: Life of an American Sculptor", Pitman Publishing Corporation, New York 1944
*Kvaran, Einar Einarsson, "Architectural Sculpture in America", unpublished manuscript
*Landau, Sarah Bradford, "George B. Post: Picturesque Designer and Determined Realist", The Montacelli Press, New York, NY, 1998
*Rajer, Anton and Christine Style, "Public Sculpture in Wisconsin: An Atlas of Outdoor Monuments, Memorials and Masterpieces in the Badger State", SOS! Save Outdoor Sculpture, Wisconsin, Madison Wisconsin, 1999
*Schevill, , Ferdinand, "Karl Bitter – A Biography", University of Chicago Press, Chicago Illinois, 1917
*"Wisconsin State Capitol: Guide and History", State of Wisconsin Department of Administration, Division of Buildings and Grounds, 1991

External links

* [http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/WI.WICapitol Wisconsin State Capitol Historic Structure Report (1995-2005)]
* [http://www.wisconsin.gov/state/capfacts/tour_select.html Information on the State Capitol] from the State of Wisconsin