October 3, 2018
A little more from the State Capitol in Sacramento…
The State Capitol in Sacramento was built between 1860 and 1874, it took 14 years due to floods, the Civil War, lack of funds from the Legislature, and building construction issues(the project literally drove the architect insane). As state government grew during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, some functions that were housed in the building(the judiciary and library) were moved to other buildings and the building was remodeled to accommodate state business. In 1949 construction of the east annex was started to provide additional space for legislative offices and new offices for the Governor and Lt. Governor. This addition required the demolition of the Aspe at the rear of the building. In the mid 1970’s it was determined that the original building was seismically unsafe to continue to be used and the choices were to completely raze the building or restore the existing structure. The state government(headed by Chairman Jerry at the time) decided to undertake a costly restoration that involved gutting the original structure, leaving just the exterior walls, and rebuilding the internal structure using steel frame construction methods. The Legislature met in large trailers at the sides of the building while their chambers were being reconstructed. The old portion of the Capitol was restored to it’s 1906 appearance and the original artwork was restored.
Read MoreThe State Capitol in Sacramento was built between 1860 and 1874, it took 14 years due to floods, the Civil War, lack of funds from the Legislature, and building construction issues(the project literally drove the architect insane). As state government grew during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, some functions that were housed in the building(the judiciary and library) were moved to other buildings and the building was remodeled to accommodate state business. In 1949 construction of the east annex was started to provide additional space for legislative offices and new offices for the Governor and Lt. Governor. This addition required the demolition of the Aspe at the rear of the building. In the mid 1970’s it was determined that the original building was seismically unsafe to continue to be used and the choices were to completely raze the building or restore the existing structure. The state government(headed by Chairman Jerry at the time) decided to undertake a costly restoration that involved gutting the original structure, leaving just the exterior walls, and rebuilding the internal structure using steel frame construction methods. The Legislature met in large trailers at the sides of the building while their chambers were being reconstructed. The old portion of the Capitol was restored to it’s 1906 appearance and the original artwork was restored.
Columbus’ Last Appeal to Queen Isabella.
Last time we saw the view from the base of this of this statuary group up to the top of the dome(you could see the top of the statuary at the bottom of that picture). The statuary is titled, Columbus’ Last Appeal to Queen Isabella, and has been in the Capitol rotunda since 1883. There was discussion of moving this piece of art from the rotunda to another place in the Capitol during the restoration in the late 70’s, but it was decided that it would remain.
