The south facade of the Kentucky State Capitol building located in Frankfort, Kentucky

The north facade of the Kentucky State Capitol building located in Frankfort, Kentucky

The Kentucky State Capitol is located in Frankfort and is the house of the three branches (executive, legislative, judicial) of the

state government A state government is the government that controls a subdivision of a country in a federal form of government, which shares political power with the federal or national government. A state government may have some level of political autonomy, or ...

of the

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

of Kentucky. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

History

Previous buildings

From 1792 to 1830, two buildings were used as the capitol, both of which burned completely. Retrieved on 2013-08-08 In 1830, another capitol was built and was used until 1910. During a bitterly contested 1899 state governor election, Democratic Party claimant William Goebel was assassinated at the capitol on his way to be inaugurated. The need for a larger building for a growing state government resulted in the replacement of that capitol building, which is now a museum operated by the Kentucky Historical Society.

Current 1910 building

In 1904, the Kentucky General Assembly chose Frankfort (rather than Lexington or Louisville) as the location for the state capital and appropriated $1 million for the construction of a permanent state capitol building, to be located in southern Frankfort. The official ground-breaking was August 14, 1905 and construction was completed in 1909 at a cost of $1,180,434.80. The building was dedicated on June 2, 1910.Kentucky State Capitol: The Commonwealth's Edifice
Kentucky Division of Historic Properties. Retrieved 2013-08-08 The capitol was designed by

Frank Mills Andrews Frank Mills Andrews (January 28, 1867 – September 3, 1948; aged 81) was an American architect born in Des Moines, Iowa, who practiced in Chicago, New York City, Cincinnati and Dayton. Andrews died in Brooklyn, New York. Known for designing the F ...

, a distinguished and award-winning architect. He used the Beaux-Arts style and included many classical

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

interior designs. The staircases, for example, are replicas of those of the Opéra Garnier in Paris. Between 1912 and 1963, five statues of historical figures from Kentucky were erected in the rotunda of the capitol. The first was a

bronze statue Bronze is the most popular metal for cast metal sculptures; a cast bronze sculpture is often called simply "a bronze". It can be used for statues, singly or in groups, reliefs, and small statuettes and figurines, as well as bronze elements t ...

of Abraham Lincoln, which was donated in 1912. Statues of

Henry Clay Henry Clay Sr. (April 12, 1777June 29, 1852) was an American attorney and statesman who represented Kentucky in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. He was the seventh House speaker as well as the ninth secretary of state, al ...

and Dr. Ephraim McDowell were added in 1930. Both of these are the bronzed plaster models used for the bronze statues that represent Kentucky in the National Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. In 1936, a

marble statue Marble has been the preferred material for stone monumental sculpture since ancient times, with several advantages over its more common geological "parent" limestone, in particular the ability to absorb light a small distance into the surface bef ...

Jefferson Davis Jefferson F. Davis (June 3, 1808December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as the president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865. He represented Mississippi in the United States Senate and the House of Representatives as a ...

, president of the Confederate States of America, was placed in the rotunda. The statue of Davis was paid for by both donations and public funds, and erected under the auspices of the United Daughters of the Confederacy. The Kentucky General Assembly voted to fund a bronze statue of Alben Barkley, former Vice President of the United States, and it was added to the rotunda in 1963. In 2018, a plaque in front of the statue of Jefferson Davis, which referred to Davis as a "patriot" and a "hero", was removed by the Kentucky Historic Properties Commission. On June 4, 2020, Governor Andy Beshear stated that he believed the statue of Davis should be removed. On June 13, 2020, the Kentucky Historic Properties Commission voted 11-1 to remove the statue from the Capitol. The Davis statue was to be moved to the

Jefferson Davis Monument State Historic Site The Jefferson Davis Monument State Historic Site is a Kentucky state park commemorating the birthplace of Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederate States of America, in Fairview, Kentucky. The site's focal point is a concrete obelisk. In ...

situated in Fairview, Kentucky, the birthplace of Davis. In November 2022, a bronze statue of

Nettie Depp Nettie Bayless Courts Depp (November 21, 1874 – August 3, 1932) was an education reformer and the first woman elected to public office in Barren County, Kentucky when she was elected Superintendent of Barren County Schools in 1913. She served ...

by Amanda Matthews, Depp's great-great niece, was unveiled inside that capitol. It is the first permanent large-scale monument of a woman inside the state capitol. While Nettie's influence was not statewide, the Historic Properties Advisory Commission considered her a representative example of Kentucky women who achieved professional and personal success. The statue’s unveiling occurred in November 2022.

Layout

The main part of the Capitol has three floors. The first floor contains the offices of the governor (and his or her staff), lieutenant governor, secretary of state, and attorney general. It also features a rotunda with statues of famous Kentuckians and other exhibits, including

Kentucky Women Remembered Kentucky Women Remembered is an exhibit in the Kentucky State Capitol that honors the contributions of women from the Commonwealth. The exhibit consists of over 60 watercolor portraits of outstanding Kentucky women. The Kentucky Commission on Wome ...

. The rotunda contains four statues of notable historical figures from Kentucky. In the center of the rotunda stands a bronze statue of President Abraham Lincoln. Three more statures line the walls of the rotunda: bronze statues of

, Vice President Alben Barkley, and Dr. Ephraim McDowell. The second floor contains the courtroom of the state Supreme Court, as well as the chambers of the justices. The state law library is nearby. The State Reception Room is also located on the second floor. The chambers of the House of Representatives and Senate face each other on opposite ends of the third floor. Some high-level legislative offices (such as for the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate) are also located there. The Capitol also has a partial fourth floor which houses the galleries of the House and Senate, as well as a few offices for legislative committee staffers. In addition, there is a partially buried basement level with mostly offices for clerks and maintenance personnel. However, it also contains a small gift shop and lunch counter as well as a tunnel to the neighboring Capitol Annex building. The Annex houses General Assembly committee rooms, General Assembly members offices and a cafeteria.

People who have lain in state in the Rotunda

Rebecca Boone Rebecca Ann Bryan Boone (January 9, 1739 – March 18, 1813) was an American pioneer and the wife of famed frontiersman Daniel Boone. No contemporary portrait of her exists, but people who knew her said that when she met her future ...

, wife of Daniel Boone, 1845 * Daniel Boone, explorer, 1845 * Joseph Clay Stiles Blackburn, United States Senator, 1918 * Augustus Owsley Stanley, Governor, 1958 * Tom Garrett, state senator, 1979 * Col. Harland Sanders, founder of

Kentucky Fried Chicken KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) is an American fast food restaurant chain headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, that specializes in fried chicken. It is the world's second-largest restaurant chain (as measured by sales) after McDonald's, with 2 ...

, 1980 * A.B. "Happy" Chandler, Governor and United States Senator, 1991 *

Bert T. Combs Bertram Thomas Combs (August 13, 1911 – December 4, 1991) was an American judge, jurist and politician from the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Kentucky. After serving on the Kentucky Court of Appeals, he was elected the List of Gov ...

, Governor, 1991 * Thelma Stovall, Lt. Governor, 1994 * Lawrence W. Wetherby, Governor, 1994 * Wilson W. Wyatt, Lt. Governor, 1996 * Vic Hellard Jr., Executive Director of the Kentucky Legislative Research Commission, 1996 *

Mary Louise Foust Mary Louise Foust (October 15, 1909 – December 17, 1999) served three terms as the Kentucky Auditor of Public Accounts and was the first woman to run for Governor of Kentucky. She was also the first woman in the state to be a licensed attor ...

, State Auditor, 1999. * Wendell P. Butler, Superintendent of Public Instruction, 2000 *

Robert F. Stephens Robert Francis Stephens, Jr. (August 16, 1927 – April 13, 2002) was an American politician, lawyer, and judge. Early life Robert Francis Stephens, Jr. was born August 26, 1928, in Covington, Kentucky, to Robert Francis and his first wife, Hele ...

, Chief Justice of the Kentucky Supreme Court, 2002 * Kenny Rapier, State Senator, 2002 * Edward T. "Ned" Breathitt, Governor, 2003 *

Louie B. Nunn Louie Broady Nunn (March 8, 1924 – January 29, 2004) was an American politician who served as the 52nd governor of Kentucky. Elected in 1967, he was the only Republican to hold the office between the end of Simeon Willis's term in 1947 and t ...

, Governor, 2004 *

William E. McAnulty Jr. William Eugene McAnulty Jr. (October 9, 1947 – August 23, 2007) was an American attorney and judge in Louisville, Kentucky who became the first African American justice on the Kentucky Supreme Court. He served on every level court in Kentucky. ...

, Justice on the Kentucky Supreme Court, 2008 * Mike Haydon, Governor's Chief of Staff, 2012 * Wendell Ford, Governor and United States Senator, 2015 * Georgia Davis Powers, State Senator, 2016 *

John Y. Brown Jr. John Young Brown Jr. (December 28, 1933 – November 22, 2022) was an American politician, entrepreneur, and businessman from Kentucky. He served as the 55th governor of Kentucky from 1979 to 1983, and built Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) into a ...

, Governor and business mogul, 2022

Security

The Capitol used to be completely open during normal business hours, and local residents often used the marble hallways for exercise (the Frankfort equivalent of "

mall walking Mall walking is a form of exercise in which people walk or jog through the usually long corridors of shopping malls as a substitute for a running track or other walking venue. Many malls open early so that people may mall walk; stores and other su ...

"). Currently, anyone without proper state credentials must go through a metal detector. Security for the complex is provided by officers from the Facilities Security Branch of the

Kentucky State Police The Kentucky State Police (KSP) is a department of the Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet, and the official State Police force of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, responsible for statewide law enforcement. The department was founded in 194 ...

along with specifically assigned state troopers.

Gallery

File:Kentucky State Capitol Lookout.jpg, Kentucky State Capitol Dome seen from the US 60 lookout File:Kentucky State Capitol Frankfort Cemetery.jpg, Kentucky State Capitol seen from the Daniel Boone grave site File:Frankfory KY Capitol Building at night.JPG, Capitol dome illuminated at night File:Kentucky Capitol Dome 01.JPG, Capitol Dome, seen from outside main entrance File:Plaza, Kentucky State Capitol - DSC09139.JPG, Main Entrance to the Capitol File:Dome - Kentucky State Capitol - DSC09207.JPG, The rotunda File:Kentucky State Capitol - DSC09164.JPG, One of the marble staircases File:Kentucky State Capitol - DSC09202.JPG, The main corridor File:Gov of ky office.jpg, Office of the Governor of Kentucky File:Senate Chamber - Kentucky State Capitol - DSC09173.JPG, Senate Chamber File:House of Representatives Chamber - Kentucky State Capitol -DSC09197.JPG, House of Representatives File:Supreme Court Chamber - Kentucky State Capitol - DSC09183.JPG, Supreme Court Chamber File:State Reception Room - Kentucky State Capitol - DSC09159.JPG, State Reception Room File:Abraham Lincoln by Adolph Alexander Weinman - Kentucky State Capitol - DSC09243.JPG, Statue of Abraham Lincoln File:Henry Clay by Charles Henry Niehaus - Kentucky State Capitol - DSC09232.JPG, Statue of Henry Clay

References

External links

Official website of the Kentucky State Capitol

Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives
Kentucky Historical Society page on the Old State Capitol

Kentucky Secretary of State
{{Authority control Buildings and structures in Frankfort, Kentucky Government of Kentucky State capitols in the United States Government buildings in Kentucky Government buildings with domes Tourist attractions in Franklin County, Kentucky Government buildings completed in 1905 Government buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Kentucky 1905 establishments in Kentucky National Register of Historic Places in Frankfort, Kentucky