The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-06-30
LIGHT The DOME.
Plan to Have State House Ablaze
With Electricity.
A Beacon Light for Many Miles
Around.
ORNAMENT TO CITY
Would Prove a Most Attractive
Feature.
Question Is Being Considered by
Executive Council.

If the plans of the municipal advertis-
ing commission are carried out and the
merchants of Topeka together with the
state officials agree to their proposition
the city of Topeka will be the beacon
light of Kansas within the next few
weeks.
1t is planned to light Kansas avenue
from Fourth to Ninth street with mann
moth arc lights, beautiful arches of
incandescents and on the state house
place large lights which will outline
the dome, and clusters of arc lights
on the extreme top of the peak of the
dome. This will give Topeka one of
the prettiest appearances imaginable
and at night the city will look like a
world exposition.
This afternoon the commission is con-
ferring with the state executive board
at the state house and it is thought
that some kind of an arrangement can
be made with the state officials in re-
gard to the new lighting scheme 1t is
also hoped that the state officials can
be persuaded to place large iron poles
at the corners and the sides of the
entrances to the state house grounds
and upon these poles place large lights.
At the present time the state house
grounds are lighted only by a few in
candeScentS on the steps and with the
city arc lights on the street corners in
the vicinity. All of the state capitos
over the country have ella borate light
ing systems and it is hoped that the
advertising commission can impress the
local executives with the Importance of
the move.
To have large arc and search lights
on the extreme point of the dome and
to have lines of smaller lights outlining
the dome would make one of the most
beautiful sights in the west. The To-
peka capitol building is one of the
largest and best in America and to have
it's dome looming up in the night to
f7n 81
tons and from the country for miles
around would make an impression never
to be forgotten to those who have ever
been through the city. To make a good
impression upon the passing public is
one of the things that the Commercial
club is striving for at the present time.
The merchants of Topeka will not
be left out of the plans of the COM
mission-in fact their part of the
work will be probably the most i'm
portant of all. At the present time
the enterprising and boosting mer-
chants and business men along the !
east side of Kansas avenue between |
Seventh and Eighth streets have in
stituted a scheme to place large arc |
lights at every other block. These |
lights are now in position and will |
probably be lighted for the first time |
tonight. The plan is to place light |
every fifty feet at the curb line in
front of the places of business at a |
cost of only $2.4O month to the bust |
ness men. The scheme is an out |
growth of former idea when incan- |
descents were placed along this same
stretch of business houses.
The plan was approved and COM
mended by the advertising commits
sion today and they recommended
that all of the merchants along Kan
sas avenue take up the idea. 1t would
give the broad business avenue a
bright and lively appearance every
night and would be a great advertise
ment for the city. At the present time
only one man between Seventh and
Eighth streets has refused to contrib
ute toward the good cause and the
commission expressed their opinion
today that very few business men
along Kansas avenue would back
down on such q proposition if 1t was
ever started and pushed.
The advertising commission discuss
ed many excellent plans at their
meeting today and they will soon
have a variety of announcements to
make which will make even the peo-
pie of lively Topeka stand up and
stare at the ingenuity of their asso-
ciates. Railroad depot signs, civic
improvements, electric light and talk
ing advertisements, state wide circul-
imagina bic for the publicity of the
greatest and the best city in Kansas.
The commission also has pledged its
support to the great slogan invented
by E. w. Thompson-"And Kansas is
a Great State.''
Those who attended the meeting of
the commission today were Chair
Webb, Arthur Capper. H. w. Heath,
N. B. Burge, s. F. Savage, c. H. Cros-
by and George Badders.