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Capital City:

The location of Missouri’s Capitol was established and dictated by the Missouri Constitution in 1820.

Cole County and Jefferson City have been the home to three State Capitols, two of which were consumed by fire.

The first Capitol in Jefferson City was built in the period of 1823-1826 and was located at where the Governor’s Mansion is now located, at the corner of Capitol and Madison avenues.

The first Capitol was destroyed by fire in 1837. The construction of a new Capitol was quickly approved and was completed in 1840 at the location where the current Capitol sits on a bluff overlooking the Missouri River.

A bolt of lightning struck the dome of the second Capitol on Feb., 5, 1911, igniting a fire that consumed the building.

With stone walls and an iron gate, the second Capitol had a European influence architecturally and was designed with fire prevention in mind. But an expansion after the Civil War added two wings and a taller dome, all built with pine lumber.

The changes proved to be ill-fated, as the addition left no access for firemen and hoses to the dome from the inside and the metal exterior prevented water from getting in from the outside.

From the time the lightning struck the dome at 6:15 p.m. until dawn the next day, residents, lawmakers, firefighters and prisoners were drawn to the Capitol site for the awe and then to help however they could.

A line of more than 600 people stretched from the burning building to the old Missouri Supreme Court building to salvage about half of the historic treasures, artwork, documents and furniture from the fire.

The Secretary of State’s Kirkpatrick Office Building is full of “burn documents,” those that may be singed but were recovered from the fire. One of those is the official document abolishing slavery.

Even while the flames were settling, some St. Louis legislators were pushing for the move to what then was one of the nation’s largest cities. University City became the promoted site, but then-Gov. Herbert Hadley promised to veto that.

West Plains also made a strong bid for the distinction when a peach farmer offered abundant land and significant funds to bring the permanent seat of government there.

In August 1911, voters approved the $3.5 million funding to build a new Capitol in Jefferson City.

The groundbreaking for the present Capitol was held May 6, 1913. The third Capitol was completed in 1917 and was dedicated Oct. 6, 1924.

The Capitol, which covers nearly three acres, is a symmetrical building of the Roman renaissance style. It stands upon 285 concrete piers, which extend to depths of 20 to 50 feet through solid rock. The exterior is of Carthage marble, as are the floors of the interior corridors, rotundas and treads of the stairways.

The grand stairway is 30 feet wide and extends from the front portico to the third floor. A bronze front door, measuring 13 feet by 18 feet, provides access to the building.

Atop the dome, a bronze figure of Ceres, the goddess of grain, symbolizes the state’s agricultural heritage.

Inside the dome, a 9,000-pound bronze chandelier hangs over the first floor rotunda. Paintings of Frank Brangwyn on the eye, panels and pendentive of the dome can be seen from the ground floor.

Throughout the building, Missouri history is depicted in a variety of artwork, including murals by artist Thomas Hart Benton in the House Lounge.

The Missouri State Museum is housed on the ground floor of the Capitol.

Source: Missouri State Capitol Commission, News Tribune archives

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2020-11-06T08:00:00.0000000Z

2020-11-06T08:00:00.0000000Z

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