Louisville, Kentucky: Kentucky Capitol

Published by Jane Appel on

June 13, 2022

Kentucky is one of four commonwealths (from commonweal, meaning common good). We might slip and call it a state, though. Architect Frank Mills Andrews designed the building in the beaux arts style. Cost was $1,820,000.

The first legislative session held in the building was in 1910.
The base is Vermont granite. Most of the exterior is Bedford limestone. The dome is covered in terra cotta. There are 70 columns around the building.
Charles H. Niehaus and Peter Cossack designed the pediment. The central figure is Kentucky who is attended by Progress, History, Plenty, Labor and Art.
Dave in front of the Capitol.
The rotunda is 180 feet high.

Statue of Abraham Lincoln under the rotunda.

The color of the rotunda changes due to its lighting.
The main corridor is 300 feet long and is lined with 36 columns of Vermont granite. Other materials include white Georgia marble and gray Tennessee marble.
Column detail
Skylights in the hall
The House of Representatives has 100 members.
Ceiling in the House chamber
The Senate has 38 members.
Dais in the Senate
State Reception Room
Mirrors over fireplaces at both ends of the room give the illusion of infinity.
Honduran mahogany panels the Supreme Court. That’s our tour guide at the bar.
The Commonwealth’s motto is “United We Stand, Divided We Fall”. We thought this seal was very advanced for featuring a woman until we realized it’s a man (a pioneer, we’re told) in buckskins.
A floral clock built in 1961 is 34 feet across.

By the way, if we were forced to pick a prettiest capitol from among those we’ve seen, it’d be Kentucky’s.

Categories: Travel

1 Comment

Laura · June 22, 2022 at 11:08 am

Wow, just WOW on the architecture pics. I just love old buildings!

Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Related Posts

Vermont’s Oldest Geocache

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…

Graniteville, Vermont: Rock of Ages

August 1, 2022 Rock of Ages began quarrying Barre granite at Smith Quarry near Barre, Vermont in 1880.

Montpelier, Vermont: Vermont State House

August 1, 2022