Summary of Facts Concerning the Capitol
Chronology of early capitol locations
- Wheeling - 1863-1870 (Linsly Institute Building)
- Charleston - 1870-1875 (first downtown capitol)
- Wheeling - 1875-1885 (Linsly Institute May 1875 to December 1876; structure built by city of Wheeling December 1876 to May 1885)
- Charleston - 1885-present (second downtown capitol May 1885 to January 1921; Pasteboard Capitol March 1921 to March 1927)
Chronology of present capitol complex
- West wing - groundbreaking January 1924 laying of cornerstone May 1924 completion March 1925
- East wing - groundbreaking July 1926 laying of cornerstone November 1926 completion December 1927
- Main unit - groundbreaking March 1930 laying of cornerstone November 1930 completion February 1932 dedication June 20,1932
Costs per unit
- West wing - $1,218,171.32 (7l¢ per cubic foot)
- East wing - $1,361,425.00 (77¢ per cubic foot)
- Main unit - $4,482,623.21 (65¢ per cubic foot)
- Total outlay including land acquisition and beautification - $9,491,180.03
Dimensions
- West wing - 300 feet by 60 feet (four stories and basement)
- East wing - 300 feet by 60 feet (four stories and basement)
- Main unit - 558 feet by 120 feet (three stories and basement)
- Connecting wings - 95 feet by 56 feet (one story and basement)
- Dome - 292 feet high, 75 feet in diameter
Materials
- Exterior walls (wings and main unit) - Indiana select buff limestone
- Dome - lead coated with copper, covered with gold leaf
- Interior floors and walls (wings) - Tennessee marble
- Interior walls (main unit) - Imperial Danby Vermont marble
- Interior floors (main unit) - Italian travertine inlaid with Imperial Danby
- Exterior columns and carvings - Indiana select buff limestone
- Interior columns and carvings - Imperial Danby
- Lighting pedestals (rotunda and foyers) - Belgian black and gold marble
- Lighting pedestals (Senate chambers) - Italian brown marble
- Lighting pedestals (House chambers) - Pink Georgian marble from France
- Light bowls - Italian alabaster
- Chambers' wainscotting, and steps to daises - verd antique marble
- Legislative desks and daises - black walnut
- Supreme Court bench and all furnishings - American walnut
- Interior doors and woodwork - quartered oak
Significa
- Ground occupied - sixteen acres
- Floor space - 535,000 square feet
- Outside walls - 314,000 cubic feet; 700 carloads
- Steel construction - 4,640 tons; 160 carloads
- Chandelier in dome - weighs 4,000 pounds; 15,000 candle power
- Chandeliers in legislative chambers - 10,000 pieces of rock crystal each
- Columns in porticoes - limestone; 86 tons each
- Columns in foyers - solid marble; 34 tons each
- Bronze doors on porticoes - 2,800 pounds each