Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-09-10
Contract Very Advantageous to
State Closed by Capitol I'm
proyement Commission
SUM AGREED UPON is se1,5oo
Elmer e. Garnsey, Of New York Has
Been Engaged to do the Work
Which viii Include the Complete
Decoration Of the Building From
Basement to Dome.

capitol Improvement collilaissAoA.
Friday night closed a con-
tract with Elmer E. Garnsey, of New
York, for the decoration of the state
house, for s61,5oo. This will be the
complete decoration. from basement 10
dome. and will include all of the OBJ
scure corridors and passage ways, as
well as the more conspicuous portions
of the interior Of the structure.
The contract is regarded as ex-
tremely advantageous to the state. The
commission is we'll pleased with the
arrangement. 1t was not expected 1nat
all of the decoration desired could De
secured for the figure mentioned. ~
had been assumed that some parts CT
the work would have to be postponed.
In fact, at first the figures which MI.
Garnsey suggested were so large tnat
the commission feared it would be I'M
possible to strike a bargain with MN.
But careful consideration of the sltua-
ton resulted in such concessions as 20
make it possible to get together.
A memorandum Of the agreement,
only was entered into. Mr.. Garnsey,
when he returns to Des Motnes about
october 6, will submit a contract 10
the commissioners definitely specify
ing, so far as it is possible, the WORK
which he will do. He had seen inc
building but once before. he went
over it carefully yesterday. BetWeen
this and the time he returns ne VIII
have developed his idea of the schene
Of the decoration. This was exactly
the ARRANGEMENT by which the con-
,ressional library work was done.
The contract with Mr. Garnsey VIII
cover all painting and decorating With
il, the capitol except the $4,000 paint
inc at The head Of the main stairway
and the paintings in the lunettes ABOUT
the interior of the dome, for winch
about $4,000 has been set aside. The
total decoration, therefore, will cost the
state about sS1,5O0.
1t is the plan of the commission and
the artists to have the general decora-
ton completed in ample time for the
legislature of 1905. Mr.. Garnsey said
last night that he could begin the work
as early as November 1. He would pc
able to keep up with the workmen en-
gagged on the physical repairs. The
house chamber, of course, would be the
last thing to do, and he expects to be
ready to proceed with it as soon as the
worklnen have finished the construc-
ton.
Includes Entire Building.
The contract with him includes all
painting and decoration of the house
of representatives hall, including the
galleries; the supreme court room and
consultation room of this court; all the
corridors and passage ways from and
including the basement to those used
by the legislative committees on the
third floor, even to the attic; the base
ment thruout, all Of the stairways
and the DOME In other words, it will
be complete.
The commission had hardly hoped to
get the basement included in the gen.
eral contract. Mr.. Garnsey was not
anxious to include it, but he suggest
ed to the commission water color
scheme for it's ecoration-identical, by
the way, with the decoration of the
congressional library at Washington
and he made other suggestions which
materially reduced the expense in the
ODScuEC COII1uOIS, 1Ol lIlSldilSN.
Members Of the commission said last
night that they We're much gratified
with the result of their negotiations
with Mr.. Garnsey. He came to Des
Moines yesterday morning, day ear
llier than he had expected. He spent
most of the forenoon with the, commits
sion, spent the afternoon carefully in
specting the building, and until train
time last night he was in conference
with the commissioners respecting his
contract. The commission expressed
its appreciation of the fact that while
business like In every way, the artist
also manifested a spirit of co-opera-
ton which was helpful and gratify-
ing. The commission, on learning his
original estimates, disclosed to him
the exact position it occupied and the
amount of money which might be
made, available for decorative purposes.
Mr. Garnsey is extremely frank con-
corning his work. There is nothing
mysterious about the plans he has for
the decoration of the building. He ex-
poets to give full outline of the
scheme, which he explained in general
terms to the commission, in the con-
tract which he will submit to the COM
missioners early in October.