Arkansas’s [yes, apostrophe s–we looked it up] second capitol was begun in 1899, occupied in 1911, and completed in 1915 at a cost of $2.2 million. Original plans for the neo-classicial building were drawn by George Mann. He was replaced by Cass Gilbert who designed both Minnesota’s capitol and the Woolworth Building in New York.
Three sets of bronze doors were designed by Cass Gilbert and manufactured by Tiffany Studios. These days the doors are used only by the Governor and Santa Claus.
These doors are hand-polished every week. They cost $10,000 in 1910 and are worth over $250,000 today.Our tour guide Nancy showing us the bronze entrance doors from the inside. View from below the rotundaThe chandelier in the rotunda was fashioned by the Mitchell-Vance Company of New York. The chandelier weighs 4,000 pounds and contains over 2,000 parts. It is 12 feet in diameter and 18 feet tall. Smaller versions of the chandelier are found in the House and Senate chambers.16 shades of paint were used in the rotunda.Marble for the floors and walls came from Vermont.The House of Representatives has 100 members, each of whom represent 30,000 persons. The curved desks were designed in 1910 but not built until 2018.Columns are scagliola, a plaster technique used to simulate the look of marble.VIP gallery in the HouseStained glass in the House chamberArchitectural details under the stained glass ceilingThe 35 members of the Senate each represent 85,000 people.The Lieutenant Governor serves as President of the Senate. The desk is original. Draperies were first installed on the ceiling in 1914 to improve acoustics.Stained glass ceiling and draperies in the SenateAt 1,200 pounds this is the smallest Mitchell-Vance chandelier in the building.Paul Martin Heerwagen from Fayetteville, Arkansas created four murals over the Capitol’s grand staircases. This one represents Justice.This mural represents War. Two other murals depict Religion and Education.Marble for the columns was quarried in Colorado.The stairs were carved of Alabama marble.The Supreme Court met in the building from 1912-1958. The room is now used for committee meetings, lectures, and press conferences.The judicial bench is original although it was enlarged in the 1920’s to accommodate additional justices.In decorations around the Supreme Court chamber ceiling, the green shield represents protection; the lamp represents wisdom. The Treasurer’s Office is secured with four doors and three time locks. The Self-Guided Tour book states that the Treasurer’s Office contains small amounts of cash, yet each of us on the tour was invited to have our picture made holding $500,000.Half a million dollars was moderately heavy but it didn’t compare to the million dollars worth of gold Dave held at the Royal Canadian Mint in Winnipeg in 2017.The Arkansas State Seal was adopted in 1864. The motto means “The People Rule” and among the elements in the seal are the goddess of Liberty, the angel of mercy, the sword of Justice, an eagle, a steamboat, a beehive, a plow, and wheat.
August 4, 2022 Vermont’s oldest geocache was closer to our campground near Albany, New York than our campground near Montpelier, Vermont so we treated it separately from other Vermont geocaches. Besides, it was harder to Read more…
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