Cleveland High School - Beacon Yearbook (St Louis, MO)

Page 27 text:

f d! ,ZL51,'!5zV::w sr- iii Y? :mv hi IS i 'V' 1' 'T' 1 kd-i4:242.ui, Y: 1 ' . 6 - ii 3 T l ' ga ' 'fi l 942 ' ff 1 y, 4M5LQt: llIilH dL ,, Q' l E K . , an n h-lily S F Z. Qfg.,-- . I X EL ' 1 5 1 4 The Capitol is surrounded by a beautiful concrete terrace, twelve feet wide and extending almost entirely around the building. The walls of the terrace are bush-hammered in fine imitation of stone. The dome is a striking feature, as it is one of unsurpassed beauty. The carving upon its exterior is exquisite. ln size, contour, and finish it is in fine harmony with the building. When the dome is burnished by the rays of the morning or evening sun, or when its background is a mass of storrn clouds, it is Very impressive. No American state capitol has a dome which is equal to it. Every detail of it is of purest design. Two lofty and well-lighted museums, one at either side of the lower rotunda, are among the notable features of the building. The natural re- sources of the state are displayed in one of these museums while historical relics are displayed in the other. These museums with their alcoves are each about one hundred and twenty feet long by sixty feet wide and are about forty feet high. The walls are entirely lined with Missouri marble While the ceilings are enriched with mural paintings. Probably the most striking feature of the building is the grand stairway which starts at the entrance from the front portico and extends to the third or legislative floor. It is lighted above by a splendid cathedral skylight, the most decorative feature of the structure, and is lined on either side by large columns of Phoenix stone or Napoleon gray marble. It is thirty feet wide and is said to be the widest stairway in the world. At the entrance stands. the bronze front door, said to be the largest since the Roman era. This huge door, with two adjoining bronze doors, cost SI5,000. A special feature is the view of the Legislative Library across the rotunda and the golden light which filters through the glass in the ceiling of the library. It is sixty-five feet from the foot of this grand stairway to the ceiling. There are four floors above the basement which are planned in such a manner as best to conserve the convenience and efficiency of the public service. Those oflices which bear closest relation to each other are placed near each other. The occupants of the first floor are the custodians of the building, the Banking and Liberty commissions, and the Labor Bureau and Coal Oil ln- spector. Other features of this Hoor are a dining room and a kitchen as fully equipped as those of the Capitol in Washington. The former is finely shaped and capable of providing for several hundred diners. The second story is set apart as the executive floor. The central feature of the entire building is the Governor's rooms. The Governor's reception room is finished in oak with seals of the different states carved in the frieze. The wood carving in this room is very fine. Upon this floor are rooms for the presiding officers and secretaries of the two houses. There are also many rooms for committees, as well as for the press, telegraph, telephone, and post-ofhce service. The Legislative Twenty-five

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1- - - If - ' 1 ' ,H ffl' x V' I 'W . 4 m v' ' 4-'J ' 'V I -Je .rr 1 Q ,- X. n .e u MISSOURI STATE CAPITOL By ELIZABETH CLELAND l,.qn1,N the evening of February 5, 191 l, a Hash of lightning struck the 5 5' dome of our state capitol building. The fire burnt gradually, but I Q65 surely, and within an hour the building was in flames. Despite all efforts the structure with most of its contents was consumed, leaving only the walls standing. The Forty-sixth General Assembly, being then in session, passed an act authorizing a 53,500,000 bond issue. Of this amount, 5I5300,000 and in- terest were to be used in furnishings, and S200,000 for the purchasing of additional grounds. The proposition was submitted to a vote of the people at a special election held August l, I9I l, and was ratified by a vote of l44,664 for, to 45,468 against. Under the law authorizing the construction of the capitol it was provided that it should occupy the site of the old one. No state capitol building of equal size and value has ever been finished in so short a period. The building, including the furnishings and terraces and all necessary equipment, could not be duplicated for double the amount today. The work was done at an unusually low cost, most of the large con- tractors, it is claimed, losing money on their work. The exact location of the new capitol is a little south of the former building. The site is commanding, overlooking the Missouri River for many miles and a wide expanse of landscape of wonderful beauty. No state capitol is more finely situated. As it is sufficiently removed from the railroad tracks which skirt the river in front of it, noise and smoke which gave the occu- pants of the old building so much annoyance are entirely avoided. If the appropriation made by the state had been sufficient to permit the construction of a viaduct or arcade over the railroad tracks and of a descent by steps to the river, it would have been a unique and attractive feature. By all means this striking and beautiful improvement should be made. The grounds upon which the building stands cover seventeen acres. The only other building upon them is a power house of handsome design and architecture. The building is of the Roman Renaissance style, surmounted by a dome of unusual beauty. It has practically four fronts, the northern front facing the Missouri River, and the southern or main front, facing High Street. It stands opposite the Supreme Court Building. The effect from all sides is strikingly beautiful. The exterior of the building is constructed of Carthage stone, a pure white crystallized limestone marble of hard and enduring texture. The ex- terior of its Walls is formed by fluted columns, which surmount its north and south porticos and its eastern and western fronts. i Twenty-four

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M ' 1 , W A f fm - N A, , fa r WN X. Ml an .ff il' ' W .. 2- 1 . f na 5 U ' 4 . u . -f 1 ,., If 'Q' l 1 ' f ' if - 2 1 Q -J. Q .af i - . . fx -Y X S K w ki- P 'Mi I ,EV YQ NQ1 Trader at Fort Carondeletu 1 Library is between the two assembly rooms overlooking the river. This room will prove a great convenience as a reference library to the legislators. The top floor is set apart for committee rooms, those of Adjutant-Gem eral, and those of other departments of the public service. Among these are the Boards of Agriculture, of Pharmacy, of Health, Building and Loan, Board of Charities and Highway Commission, and Committee Rooms. Altogether, there are over a hundred rooms in the entire building and each is so located and appointed that it will be of maximum service to the state. The roof is of slate, and is so constructed that it may be used on occasions of large assemblages. At the end of seven years of strenuous service, it was stated with pleasure that while the differences and troubles incident to every great work have been among the experiences of this one, all have been satisfactorily over- come and adjusted without loss to the state, and without criticism from the public. The Governor's private room, that of his secretary, and those of the Twenty-six