North Dakota State College of Science - Agawasie Yearbook (Wahpeton, ND)

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 he cjQvdwasie ( ) The Fire N Sixo.w morning, December 28. 1930, the citizens of North Dakota were startled by the realization of the fact that the once old historic Capitol was burning. By noon, there was nothing left of the building but the four bleak walls. Nearly everything had been destroyed including many of the records of the state and its history. l ew people realized the extent of loss at that time, but all of us were inconvenienced later on. Our state officers and their staffs were scattered throughout the city of Bismarck. For example, the Governor reigned supreme in a cubby hole on the second floor of the post office building, the l ax commission housed its records and transacted business in a store room vacated by the Montana-Da-kota Power Company. The 1 I ail Insurance Department held sway in the Stair Garage. Such was the condition of our State Government. The laws of the State provided for a reserve for a Capitol which amounted to three quarters of a million dollars. This, along with insurance amounting to $650,000, constituted a sum of about a million and a half available to erect a new structure and alleviate the state of affairs caused by the burning of the old Capitol.

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 he cj gawasie The New Capitol UK m v State Capitol, represented on the opposite page as it will look when completed, combines beauty, practicability and modernity of architecture. The west end, or legislative unit, will be comparatively low. and is designed to contain a memorial hall and the legislative chambers. T he office block or administrative part of the building to be located at the east end will be 234 feet high. The new Capitol will not only have beauty of appearance. but will combine a maximum of light, and a maximum of usable floor space. T here will be 130,000 square feet of floor space as compared with 65,000 square feet in the old Capitol. It is estimated that 80 per cent of its Hoor area is working space, as against 29 to 30 per cent in the dome style of architecture. The separate housing of the legislative and administrative units constitutes a unique feature of this building as compared with other state capitols. In the lower part of the structure will he the legislative rooms; in the eighteen story block the administrative unit. The fact that there is twice as much available space in the new Capitol provides well for the future. The most prominent artistic feature of the interior will be a memorial hall, 25 feet wide, 40 feet high and 270 feet long. Opening from this to the right, will be the offices of the Governor, Attorney General and Secretary of State. To the left will be the chambers of the I louse and Senate, located on either side of the wall at the extreme west end. The building is to have a steel framework with all members fireproofed with concrete. Moors are of hollow tile arch with concrete fill and cimcnt finish; the windows of solid section aluminum, glazed with plate glass. Details of interior finishing, too numerous to mention here, will give-distinctive beauty to the memorial hall and the chambers and offices within the building. From the standpoint of convenience and economy oi time anil effort, numerous up-to-date mechanical devices