New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-09-26
A MAGNIFICENT STAIRWAY
ONE of THE MOST SPLENDID FEATURES
OF THE CAPITOL AT ALBANY.

IT rs NOT YET QUITE FINISHED, THOUGH 1T WAS
BEGUN IN iss4-THE ELABORATE CARVING.
Albany Sept o5.-The great western staircase
OF the State CaDitol. one Of the most beautiful
and costly on the Western Continent. is APP
preaching completion. Sraf'oldiHss yet sur
round it worknEmen are still engaged in cary
ins Stone upon H., but it xii. soon be finished
Possibly The members Of the Legislature which
meets here on January may De able to witness
is unveilins II there is any CEREMONY Of ,hs ma
turc.
Begun in ..larch. 1854 from designs Of the
great architect. II. H. Richardson. Of Boston.
which were carried cut By Isaac II. Perry he
present STATE Architect. The actua. tilne c%-
pended in work upon The monumental structure
has been eight years And frOm Mr. P.rry5
disclaimer Of any know ledge Of what it has cost
one can infer that 70 mas been Uem 'ndousIy
expensive staircase There is 4 suspicion
founded upon certain estimates that it has '1st
coward hdlf million dollars. but no enc would
io .urprsed If Mr. Perry should acknowledge
th4i b, has cost Sl.0oD0OD The difficulty Of s.
tir,ating rests in the fact thdt state laO'rers
were pad To work upon it and Ia taeir i-bor
in The accounts is not separated from that II
.ab0rers on other portions II the gigantic build
,.nr.
The staircase IS Il double one; it's stairways
winding IN ana cut Of the central piers, and
rising thus from story to story. II occupies
space =; feet lOt. inches north and south By 90
feet lot. inches east and vest. It's height from
the tile floor n the first story 10 the top Of he
corn.cr is 10 feet. and thence from the sum
nit TO the glazed dorr.e II feet. making total
height Of 40 feet. The east and west main
corridors # me western section Of the Capitol
extend along he great staircase in the first
second third and fourth stories except On the
.vest side 0f the second story. whore the en-
trau.. lobby Is located. connecting Wtth ali four
~ th- corridors. which a.. embelllshed With
columns aad pna5tors with carved caps and
string courses. Tho bllustcal,5 ara profuscy
carved ana so also ara tho columns u red Corae-
siU -5nd4.cne which sustain he stairway
on IN. east side Of the first story are carved
,ora.ls under The arches supporting tn" centre
rows - steps. representing justice On one ard
| Liberty on the other The eJrbeis supporting
/ he third story arches which carry he centre
rows ID steps IN the east bear he words "Ex-
...-Io: ~ me ana 20 P,ur1Gs Jnum" On the
other AID on The west side is i quotation from
,ue Declaration If independence
Thor- ar" carved heads - Boz seen between
the .aI. % -..ry epiumu. Thus there axe heads
II F.r.u.ra Cooper Joseph Henry. George
William Curtis. Suas Wright Geor,e Washing
ION. Abraham. Lincoln. Ulysses :. Grant. Thomas
J.fr.r-,r. Alexander Hamilton and John Jay. On
d ,r.r-.m o,or the entrance TO the State Ii
arary i- a carving representing 'hc head and
neck IF Minerva. with wreath u oak caves
Calling l,pn On either side Of thc same. he
ah... -.t 10 sell designed and carefully axe
,.tI.i ...,c. con- IN" loH section Of tne tran
SOM lr. tn. words state Library with cary
ING r.rr.... OIL u. palm leaves spr.ug.uS out