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Frank Mills Andrews was selected to design the new capitol, the current capitol. His planned structure proved far too immense to fit on the old square, so the present site in south Frankfort was chosen instead. Ground was broken in 1905, and the building was dedicated in 1910. The total cost of the completed building and furnishings was $1,820,000 -- a modest price even in 1910.
Andrews designed the capitol in the Beaux Arts style, incorporating the decorative and spatial elements of classical architecture. Combining the majestic form of Greek architecture with the highly ornate elegance of French styling, he produced one of the finest public buildings of our times.
Andrews studied classical French architecture and incorporated features of the style in the ornate interior of the capitol. Richly sculptured archways and cornices, hand painted murals, stained glass skylights, and Honduras mahogany are among the interior embellishments. The Rotunda features statues of prominent Kentuckians and a dome patterned after the dome of Napoleon's tomb in Paris. The elegance of the interior is enhanced by generous expanses of marble. Thirty-six monolith columns of Vermont granite along the east and west corridors support massive cornice work and lunette windows.
The exterior displays an elaborate terrace on a Vermont granite base and a facade faced with Bedford limestone. A richly sculptured pediment highlights the north entrance to the capitol. Created by Charles H. Niehaus, the design was executed by Peter Rossack and shows a heroic Lady Kentucky with Progress, History, Plenty, Law, Art, and Labor as her attendants.
The first floor houses the office of the Governor and other constitutional officers. Located on the second floor is the resplendent State Reception Room, designed in the style of the Louis XIV period. At the east end is the Supreme Court Room, which serves as the seat of the judicial branch of state government. Kentucky's legislative bodies meet in chambers at opposite ends of the corridor on the third floor.
The Office of Historic Properties of the Finance and Administrative Cabinet oversees the proper preservation and maintenance of the state capitol building and its surrounding grounds. The capitol is open for tours Monday-Friday, 8am-4:30pm, Saturday, 8:30am-4:30pm, and Sunday 1pm-4:30pm. For tour reservations, call (502) 564-3449.