Download our Logo
Vol. 26:3 ISSN 0160-8460 September 1998
Preserving the Plans of the Nebraska State Capitol
A view of the Nebraska State Capitol shortly after its completion. Photograph courtesy of the Nebraska State Building Division-Capitol Archives.
It certainly doesn't look like your typical state capitol building. Where's the big dome? Although the Nebraska State Capitol does indeed have a dome, it happens to sit atop a 400-foot tower. Designed by Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue of New York City and constructed on a pay-as-you-build basis between the years 1922 and 1932, the capitol building in Lincoln serves as an example of efforts to bring the innovative building technology of the early 20th century to the design of public buildings.
The architectural styling of the Nebraska State Capitol has been described as vernacular and eclectic, borrowing from Art Deco and Neoclassical styles. The base of the building is a cross within a square which results in the formation of a series of four courtyards. The prominent central tower is topped with a 19½-foot statue called the Sower standing upon a 12½-foot pedestal of wheat and corn motifs.
Bertram Goodhue was born in Pomfret, Connecticut in 1869 and began his architectural career at the age of 15, working in the New York office of Renwick, Aspinwall, and Russell. By 1898 he was a partner in the firm of Cram, Goodhue and Ferguson and became known for his designs of churches, houses, and public buildings. When it became clear that a new state capitol was needed for Nebraska, a design competition was held and Goodhue's entry was selected.
Complementing Goodhue's monumental design of Indiana limestone, the talents of a number of artisans contributed to the uniqueness and beauty of the building. The building includes bronze and steel windows from David Lupton & Sons of Philadelphia, Gustavino tile vaults, mosaic marble flooring by Hildret Meiere, inlay woodwork containing 31 different wood species, polychrome wood doors, silk tapestries, angora mohair rugs, pigskin leather doors, sculpture by Lee Lawrie, and murals created by Augustus Tack. Illustrations in a variety of materials provide representations of Socrates and Hammurabi, Native Americans and pioneers, the Mayflower Compact and the Emancipation Proclamation. In all, over 100 firms were contracted to help with the design, construction, and decoration of the new capitol.
As the Nebraska State Capitol has aged, maintenance and preservation have become increasingly important. Many building owners have discovered - often through costly lessons they do not wish to repeat - that access to building drawings is vital if maintenance and preservation are to be carried out effectively and efficiently.
For over 60 years, the drawings used to create the state capitol were stored in a vault, some rolled and some folded, with no temperature or humidity controls. Although the climate in the vault was fairly constant over the decades, low humidity caused the drawings to become brittle and difficult to handle safely. Tears along folds in the drawings, as well as damage caused by removing individual drawings from rolls, led to restrictions on use. Despite interest in the capitol due to its national historic landmark status and the importance of its architect, the drawings could not be made available to researchers and were used only when required to address the maintenance needs of the building. Even if the drawings had been made available to researchers, the lack of adequate descriptive tools would have made their use difficult.
In 1990, the Capitol Collections Program was created as part of the Nebraska State Building Division in order to care for materials relating to the building. Through this program, it was hoped that these valuable holdings could be arranged, described, and preserved for use by those interested in architecture, historic preservation, the decorative arts, and related topics. A full-time archivist was hired in 1991 to help develop policies to carry out this mission, and a conservation assessment was undertaken in 1993. In 1995, the holdings of the Nebraska State Archives relating to the construction of the capitol were transferred to the Nebraska State Building Division. At its February 1997 meeting, the National Historical Publications and Records Commission became a part of this important effort by providing a grant to flatten, arrange, and describe nearly 5,000 drawings dating from 1919 to 1934.
These drawings, measuring as large as 44" x 72", document the work of nearly every firm involved in the project, many of which no longer exist. Included are drawings ranging from elevations of the building and landscaping plans, to details of gilded chandeliers and marble floors. In order to make these records available to researchers and preserve them for the future, the drawings have now been flattened utilizing a humidification process. Once flattened, descriptive information was collected using a catalog worksheet, and entered into a database.
For additional information about this project, contact Karen Wagner, Capitol Archivist, Nebraska State Building Division-Capitol Archives, 521 South 14th Street, Suite 500, Lincoln, NE 68508; (402) 471-0444.
