The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-08-13
COMMISSION DRAWS
LINE ON ORIENTAL
RUGS FOR CAPITOL
Furnishings viii Be Elegant,
but Patriotic Mahogany VIII
Play important Part in Fin
lshing ofMain Rooms Board
Considers Designs.

In conjuring for himself vision of
the new capitol as it viii look when
completed and occupied, the Minnesota
taxpayer may picture a group of web
foot legislators in one of the retiring
rooms of the house or senate, luxuriat
ing in leather covered mahogany easy
chairs with their boots elevated on 9,
highly polished mahogany table or re-
Ginning on leather-covered divans or
coucheS.
The facilities will all be provided for
in the plans for furnishing the building.
and, to quote the words of Cass Gilbert,
the architect, 1T is the purpose of the
commission to furnish these rooms
completely, in a comfortable and sub
stantial manner without ostentation.
Voluptuousness has, however, been
subordinated to patriotism in the Sc
lection of floor covering and hangings,
for there will be no Oriental rugs or
draperies and no European made fur
nishings in this portion of the building.
The floors will be covered with some
heavy and durable Americana made
carpet.
Gilbert Presents Designs.
Mr.. Gilbert presented to the commits
sion at its meeting of yesterday numer-
Gus plans of furniture and furnishings
III ulllSIeIl parts VI Tie dllQ
a greater portion of the day was de-
voted to discussion of this feature of
the work. 1t was decided to advertise
as soon as possible for bids for all fur
niture and interior furnishings that
will be needed throughout the entire
building, and Mr.. Gilbert Is now en-
gagged in preparing specifications I'M
der which these bids will be invited
1t is expected that the notice will be
TpadU n he Trinfnl within n fpuJ
and Oct. Is is the date that has been
set for the opening of the bids.
The specifications will be so prepared
that Minnesota firms may have every
advantage in bidding on single rooms,
or any portion of the work that they
may desire, and no firm, however ex-
elusive as to its line of goods or how
ever limited in its capacity, need be at
any Disadvantage reason of the
pecifications-in bidding against the
more extensive houses.
The extent of this branch of the work
is IN a great measure an unknown
quantity to the members of the COM
mission, and Vice President Seabury,
when asked after the meeting, said to
T e G 10 b e that he would not like
to make any closer estimate than to
say that the cost. of all interior fur
nishings for the building would be be-
tween 100000 and 100000.
Mr.. Gilbert's ideas, as set before the
commission yesterday, were chiefly III
the form of drawings and oral state
ments as to what he thought would be
in best taste for certain portions of the
building. The discussion of the board
did not take detailed form, but some
points were fully agreed upon.
Desks Will Be Mahogany.
The show portions of the building
will be the house and senate cham
bers the supreme court and the gov
ernor's suite.
Among the drawings shown yester-
day by Mr.. Gilbert were sketches for
the desks for the speaker of the house
and the presiding officer of the senate
and the bench for the supreme court.
These will all be in mahogany, richly
and deliberately carved, and each will
be an important feature in the design
of the room in which it will be located.
In the supreme court room there will
be rich hangings, but until the general
scheme of decoration is complete their
color will not be determined
The furniture and fittings of the gov
ernor's room will be in all respects a