The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-12-16
Last State House Contracts Are
to Be Awarded.
Secretary Clark Says 1t will Be
Entirely Finished in a Year.
PAINT THEM ALL OUT.
Frightful Figures on Interior
of Dome Will Go.
All the Dome Frescoing Will Be
Done Over.

Before the present administration
goes out of office the entire state house
from top to bottom will be completed >
said Secretary of State George A. Clark
today.
This will include the entire altera-
ton of the decora tions on the interior
of the rotunda, that horrible frescoing
on the frieZe up there along with the
rest"
This will be good news to Kansas
people who have looked forward for
years to the time when their state
mouse should at last be completed. For
80 years it has been building, and many
people had about despaired of it's COM
plet1on in this generation The past
two administrations have made consid-
erable Roadway with it however all
though the work of the last adminis-
tration in decorate ting the rotunda is to be
uhdone, and the progress made from
month to month is now easily percepti-
ble- Many rooms on the third and
fourth floors have been completed, be-
library.
Workmen are today engaged in tear
ing out some of the temporary flooring
on the main floor preparatory to put
ting down the tiling in the corridors on
that floor. The opening in the center
of the rotunda on the main floor, which
has been boarded over for several
years, is now open and a temporary
This opening is now square, about 40
feet each way, but it will be considera-
bly enlarged. made circular in shape
and a handsome brass railing placed
around 1t. This will greatly improve
the appearance of the interior of the
rOtunda and dome.
1t will be a source of pleasure to Kan
SaS people when the state capitol is at
last completed In the past the build
ing has not seemed worthy of the state
except the size. Kansas people have
been ashamed to take visitors from the
east to see 1T because of the appearance
of its corridors. People who have visi-
ted Colorado's state house at Denver
could not help but compare the hand
some interior of that building with that
of Kansas. The Colorado building is
not as large nor as imposing a Struc-
ture externally as that of Kansas, nor
has it been anywhere nearly as long in
building. but the interior of its corri-
dors are wainscoated with marble and
onyx, the brasswork in it's rotunda is
polished to a high degree and not a
particle of dust is to be seen any
where.
The unfinished condition of the Kan
sas building has made it impossible to
keep those parts which are finished
looking as we'll as they should. The
brass work gets dingy and the dust
from the concrete flooring in the corri-
dors daily covers everything that it can
reach But there is prospect that all
this will soon be changed.
'At the next regular meeting of the
executive council I think we will let
the contract for flooring the basement"
said Secretary Clark. 1--WE also intend
to completely change the decorations
of the walls of the rotunda We do not
intend to leave any of the decorations
that are now on the walls. but will
change their appearance entirely in
Guiding those horrible figures up there
and the yellow wallpaper effect of this
frescoing on the side walls. think the
corridors down to and including the
basement floor will be completed by
June l. and we expect to finish the
whole state house before the present ad-
ministration goes out of Office