Kentucky's Capitols: Kentucky's "Old State Capitol" (1830)

After Kentucky had lost six State Houses to fire, the government began to search for a design that did not rely upon wood as the main construction component. In 1827, the Kentucky Legislature sponsored an architect's competition, the winner receiving the bid to design the new Kentucky Capitol building.

Gideon Shyrock, a young Lexingtonian and former student of Philadelphia architect William Strickland, won the competition. The exterior building plan, based on the Greek Revival style, was patterned on a Greek temple, with grand Ionic columns and massive pediment. The entire structure was to be constructed of "Kentucky marble," a form of crystalline limestone found near the cliffs overlooking the Kentucky River.

The interior was also classical in design, including a central rotunda topped by a domed cupola. The cupola, also called "the lantern," provided the main source of light for the Senate and House chambers located on the second floor. White stone was used for the floors and stairways. The main circular staircase is self-supporting, its weight dependent upon a single keystone, similar in design to Roman arches. If the arched stairs were moved 1/10 of an inch, the entire stairwell would collapse. This innovative stairwell design is said to be the only one in existence in the world.

Completed in 1830 at a cost of $85,000, the building boasted some of the greatest architectural and artistic features found in all the West. In the Senate and House chambers hang portraits of Lafayette, Isaac Shelby, Zachary Taylor, Henry Clay, William Henry Harrison, and Daniel Boone. Also in the House chambers hangs a copy of Gilbert Stuart's famous portrait of George Washington.

The building has seen changes over the years. In 1839, a fountain was installed. In 1854, by an act of the Governor and Secretary of State, the grounds were enclosed with an iron fence to deter stray dogs, horses, cows and hogs from wandering up the Capitol steps. Further, the city council passed an ordinance forbidding the hitching of horses on city streets, especially those located near the Capitol, to maintain the dignity of the area's homes and businesses. (Before this, it was not a surprise for a country person to come out of a store to find his hitched horse lacking of both her mane and tail, sheared by an angry city dweller. It was also the fashion for boys to take the tails left on the road and braid them into watch guards.)

In 1869, a movement by the Legislature approved the erection of a new Capitol, to be located on the east side of the existing Capitol building. The work was contracted out and construction began. In 1870 the appropriated funds ran out, and building ceased. This building, known as the Capitol Annex, is currently used as state government offices.

Although it was heavily damaged in 1869, the "Old Capitol" remained in use by Kentucky's Legislature until 1904. Still open to the public, it is located on Broadway in South Frankfort.