The Capitol Building

Construction 

Construction begin in the Capitol in December of 1860, however it took fourteen years for the project to be complete. The total cost of completion was 2.5 million dollars. One of the principal Architects Ruben Clark was hospitalized in the Stockton mental institution where we died in 1866, which according to the hospital the cause of his insanity was diagnosed as caused by the continues and close attention to the building of the State Capitol in Sacramento. Gordon P. Cummings took over and finished the building.

Floods had a great deal to do with the floods hit in 1862 stopping all construction for about eight months. Forcing the Legislators to complete their session in San Francisco.One foot of water surrounded the building’s walls and construction materials were destroyed. When Construction begin again in August of 1862 crews hauled wheelbarrows of dirt and raised the buildings ground by six feet to protect from flooding again. This also brought political tension between legislators who sought to relocate the capitol building once again.

Architectural Inspiration

California’s Capitol was inspired by many other building who drew from the Romans. One common feature is the central rotunda that rises into a dome. Rather than topping the Capitol with a statue Such as others have capitols, the California State Capitol is ornamented with a gold-plated copper ball reminiscent of California’s Gold Rush history.On October 29, 1871 the gold-plated copper ball was affixed to the cupola at the apex of the Capitol.  In order to house both the Senate and Legislative branches the capitol needed to have two wings that extend from the central rotunda. In California’s Capitol the Assembly is in the left wing and the Senate in the right wing.The executive branch is located in the East Annex, which was added to the Capitol in 1951.

Inside the Building 

The Rotunda serves as the heart of the building and is the m
ain orientation place for visitors, lawmakers and legislative Staffers.  The focus of this room, however, is a massive statue made of Carrara marble. Slightly over life size, the statue, has rested in the center of the Rotunda since 1883.

 

There is also an interior dome of the Capitol that rises 100 feet from the circular walk, while their is a band of cast iron grizzly bears look down on visitors with Minerva the Roman goddess who is featured in the great Seal of California. The reason for the Roman goddess on the states seal is that according to ancient Roman myth, the goddess Minerva was born fully grown. Just as Minerva was born fully grown, so California became a state without first having been a territory. Minerva’s image on the Great Seal symbolizes California’s direct rise to statehood.

 

 

 

 

East Annex 

East Annex is home to the Executive branch this includes offices for the Governor of California, Lieutenant Governor, legislators and other state officials. Construction for the East Annex begin in 1949 and was completed by 1952.

 

Library and Courts Building

Expansion was desperately needed by the 1920’s. The California State Library and Courts were moved off site in response to the rapid growth and little space. In 1928 the building was complete and occupied. There has been many attempts to restore and expand the capitol to assist with its growth over the years. By 1972, the state had once again outgrown its Capitol building. It was deteriorating and becoming unfit for its purpose. A seismic study revealed that the Capitol would be unsafe in an earthquake.After much debate on if they should remodel or restore the capitol building in  July 1974, leadership in the legislature changed hands, and speaker Leo McCarthy proclaimed that there would be no new Capitol. The original would be restored. Solidifying this statement, Assemblyman Leon Ralph and Senator Lou Cusanovich authored bills AB2071 and SB1547 that called for the structural and aesthetic restoration of the Capitol. These bills were passed in 1975 and 1980. The project began in 1975 and took a total of six years to complete. The final cost of the restoration was over $68 million. Nevertheless the Building itself is a huge component in California’s history.

Works Cited

“Architectural Virtual Tour.” Capitol Museum. 22 November, 2016. http://capitolmuseum.ca.gov/architecture-and-history/architectural-virtual-tour