Hello Everyone,
Spend a day in downtown Lincoln, Nebraska and you’ll find “The Tower of the Plain”, also known as the Capitol, is fascinating to visit. A wealth of art, statues, mosaics, and inscriptions cover its entire interior and exterior. Afterwards, plan to visit the Nebraska History Museum then stop at the Haymarket, a historical shopping and restaurant area. It’s home to a unique licorice shop and Lincoln’s Convention and Visitors Bureau.
TOWER OF THE PLAINS
THE TEAM WHO CONSTRUCTED IT
Nebraska’s current Capitol is the third on the site. The first one built during 1867/68 lasted 20 years while the second, constructed in the late 1880's, lasted 30 years. Built of Nebraska limestone, they both failed because of poor foundations and weak stone. The people of Nebraska decided that it was essential to have a Capitol that endured. In 1919, the Capitol Commission selected from a nationwide competition, New York architect, Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue.
Born in Connecticut in 1869, Goodhue started his architectural career in 1884 as an apprentice learning drafting and elements of design, mostly Gothic. He later turned to classical and contemporary, establishing his own firm in 1914. He believed that architecture should inspire and enrich rather than just enclose. His other projects included the U.S. Military Chapel at West Point, St. Thomas and St. Bartholomew’s churches in New York City, the National Academy of Sciences Building in Washington, D.C., and the Los Angeles Public Library.
The other architects imitated our federal Capitol. Goodhue’s design stood out from the rest in capturing the spirit of Nebraska. His plan was to construct a tall “tower on the plains” that could be spotted from miles away. The tower was to serve as a landmark to honor soldiers. It would be on a broad low base reflecting the prairie’s expanse.
Goodhue was the first to use the tower design for a Capitol. Since that time, it has been copied by the states of Louisiana, Florida, and North Dakota.
His idea was to use Indiana limestone in a “cross within a square” that would be built in four phases. The other architects would have torn down the previous Capitol. However, with Goodhue’s plan, the outer square of the new building temporarily surrounded the existing second Capitol during the first phase. Government business would not have to rent new office space and could continue uninterrupted saving half a million dollars. Because of Nebraska’s “pay-as-you-go” plan budget, the Commission favored this idea.
The second phase razed the old building and finished the north, south, and east arms of the central cross. The tower was erected and the Sower statue placed on top during phase three while the fourth finished the west side. The Capitol was constructed between 1922 and 1932 at a cost of $9.8 million.
Goodhue surrounded himself with a team that would create his vision. Lee Lawrie, also a New Yorker, was hired to do the building’s sculptures. Lawrie, a master craftsman in stone and wood, specialized in architectural sculpture. He had worked in the studio of Beaux Arts sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens. Laurie had collaborated with Goodhue since 1895 on buildings complementing his early Gothic designs. His Nebraska Capitol commission brought his architectural sculpture into the modern era culminating with his work on Rockefeller Center. From 1921 to 1954, Lawrie received eight national architectural and sculptural awards.
All of Lawrie’s sculptures, except for the Sower, are engaged with the building instead of being free standing and independent. The Sower which stands 19-1/2 feet tall on a 12-1/2 foot base is the only one in the round. It represents Nebraska’s agriculture and serves as a lightning rod to the building. The rest are in bas relief with their form coming from the stone, buttresses and pylons of the building face.
Hildreth Meiere, another New Yorker, was responsible for all of the building’s mosaics. She hoped to be a muralist and started her career designing sets and costumes for New York City’s Metropolitan Opera. She joined the Navy during World War I where she was trained in architectural drafting. Goodhue hired her to do commissions on the National Academy of Science and the Nebraska Capitol at the same time since the buildings shared common designs.
She was young and no one had ever heard of her before. The Academy asked who she was and was told she was doing the mosaics on the floor and ceiling at the Capitol. The Capitol Commission asked who she was and were told she was doing mosaics on the dome at the Academy. Thus, both places accepted her. She received the 1928 Gold Medal in Mural Painting from the Architectural League of New York for her work on the Capitol. She later was commissioned for work at Radio City Music Hall.
Since the New Yorkers were rarely on the site, the Capitol Commission strongly suggested that Dr. Hartley Burr Alexander, dean and professor of philosophy at the University of Nebraska, be hired to write inscriptions and help shape symbols. He had studied and written extensively about Native American cultures. He had also written many books and essays on democracy and political thought. His collaboration with Goodhue led to other buildings: Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha, Oregon State Capitol, Rockefeller Center, and the Los Angeles Public Library.
Alexander’s philosophy is found on all the inscriptions on the building’s exterior and interior walls. For his inscriptions, he drew upon other philosophers, Native American lore, statesmen, and his own ideas.
When Goodhue died unexpectedly in 1924, Alexander became thematic director as the artists finished decorating the halls. Themes throughout the Capitol are based on the state’s human settlement from Native Americans to cattlemen and also on the development of democracy as a form of government.
Alexander, a strong advocate for the new Capitol, loved the designs but took issue with some of the symbols. He convinced Goodhue that using winged buffaloes, which were initially on the front entrance, was a wrong idea. He also advised Meiere that her Senate room mural of the Native American hunting party should have men stripped down to their waist instead of in full finery and headdresses.
Almost daily, on trains, letters crisscrossed the nation between New York and Lincoln. Details about how the art could have impact and meaning were sent to Laurie and Meiere. Everything in the building was to have a meaning with themes that tied everything together.
Goodhue and Alexander mapped out thematic plans, including types of material, down to the last detail. The Capitol’s art, floor mosaics, tiles, sculptures, murals, and inscriptions were all carefully planned.
Goodhue’s Nebraska supplier, Sunderland Brothers Co., traveled to Italy to obtain large marble slabs, mined from the mountains, for the Capitol’s massive pillars. Approximately 40 different types of marble from different countries were used.
After Lawrie made his designs in plaster models, he hired European stone carvers to create the exterior sculptures. Edward Ardolino Inc. (a stone carving company) employed Alessandro Beretta to sculpt the carvings on the site. Beretta often took as long as ten weeks per panel and used as many as 70 different tools. An electric railroad encircled the Capitol to deliver steel, marble, and limestone because of their heavy weight.
The Capitol was to be a masterpiece of art and architecture portraying Nebraska’s people, its history, and its spirit. Everything in the building was to tell a story. The goal was for it to become a giant three-dimensional book about Nebraska and world history to be interpreted by tour guides.
GOVERNOR’S SUITE
The suite designed in the Italian Renaissance style consists of the Hearing Room, Reception Room, Secretary’s Office used by the Chief of Staff, and the Governor’s Private Office. It’s the most ornamental suite in the Capitol. In the Hearing Room, the governor meets with visitors and conducts news conferences.
The suite features custom furnishings. Visitors also spot matched walnut wainscoting, decorative plaster relief, three fireplaces, and painted and stenciled ceilings. Decorative details in the suite feature such agricultural symbols as corn, wheat, and bison.
A highlight in the reception room is the ceiling’s oil on canvas mural by Augustus Vincent Tack. It simulates fresco while depicting the timelessness of rights and responsibilities of citizens in a democracy. This includes the rights of suffrage and freedom of speech.
THE GREAT HALL
This hall, also called the foyer and the Hall of Fame, connects the vestibule and rotunda. It is where you go to start your tour. Its theme is The Life of Man.
At this location, you’ll find Hildreth Meiere’s floor mosaics composed of white Italian and black Belgian marble. Her encircled figures represent the Spirit of the Soil, Spirit of Vegetation, and the Spirit of Animal Life. They show the interaction between Nebraskans and nature. Meiere rendered the drawings on paper. Stone was then cut and glued to the paper with each piece numbered. Artisans later reassembled them on the floors.
The three medallions in the ceiling represent Traditions of the Past, Life of the Present, and Ideas of the Future. The window arches have figures depicting the family, school, recreation, reflection, beauty, and truth. The four inward facing ceiling panels symbolize law, labor, public spirit, and religion.
Goodhue left 12 spaces for paintings in the Great Hall, Vestibule, and Rotunda, but they weren’t added until decades later because of lack of funding during the Depression. In 1967, six Venetian glass wall murals were added to celebrate the state’s centennial. These were The United States Survey by Charles Clement; The Blizzard of 1888 and Tree Planting by Jeanne Reynal; The Coming of the Railroad by F. John Miller; and The Spirit of Nebraska and The Building of the Capitol by Reinhold Marxhausen.
THE VESTIBULE
The room’s theme is Gifts of Nature to Man on the Plains. A dominating symbol is the sun found on the top of the dome, the chandelier, and the large floor mosaic. Nebraska’s agricultural products surround the sun in a large circle in the dome. The dome’s corners depict agriculture’s four seasons. In the arches around the dome, visitors find pictures of Nebraska’s animals.
On the walls, the pioneers arrive and settle Nebraska. Three of James Penney’s murals added in 1964 are The Homesteaders' Campfire, The First Furrow, and The House Raising.
ROTUNDA
This is my favorite area because of the vibrancy of Meiere’s floor mosaics. She was strongly influenced by the Siena Cathedral in Siena, Italy. On the floor, you’ll find a flowing Earth Mother surrounded by the Geniuses of Water, Fire, Air and Soil. The border, surrounding the elements, depicts extinct prehistoric plants and animals. Aquatic animals represent water. Dinosaurs depict fire. Birds are recognized by air; while with the earth, it’s the ice age mammals.
To get accurate designs for the Rotunda floor, Meiere consulted with Erwin Hinckley Barbour, director of the University of Nebraska State Museum. Barbour had achieved fame as a paleontologist. He supplied at least 24 sketches which are now preserved in the Capitol Archive.
Since Meiere extended the area to the Nebraska Territory to include Utah, Kansas, and the Dakotas, she could use such animals as the mosasaur which was known in Kansas but not in Nebraska. Visitors looking at these mosaics also find a sabre-toothed cat and a duckbill dinosaur.
The Rotunda, located in the building’s center, is 110 feet high. Its theme is The Virtues of the State. Eight winged virtues form a celestial rose within the mosaic dome: Temperance, Wisdom, Faith, Justice, Magnanimity, Charity, Hope, and Courage. Three large paintings by Kenneth Evett were added in 1956 representing industrial enterprises, intellectual works, and humanitarian works. They are titled The Labors of the Hand, The Labors of the Head, and The Labors of the Heart.
EAST AND WEST CHAMBERS
Goodhue created two rooms of equal size as there were originally 34 senators and 100 representatives when he built the Capitol. The two rooms were supposed to be mirror images. Both were to have ornamental domes with themes of cultural history.
In 1934, citizens passed an initiative to amend the Nebraska Constitution. The first session of the Unicameral nonpartisan legislature was held in 1937. The 49 members of the Legislature serve districts of roughly equal size. They’re allowed two consecutive four-year terms which are in session every year. In odd-numbered years, they meet for 90 days while in even-numbered years they meet for 60 days.
No political party is listed for candidates on the ballot. The two who obtain the most votes in the primary election face each other in the general election. Half are up for election each year.
The East Chamber, now called the Warner Legislative Chamber, originally housed the Senate. The area is now used as a hearing room, meeting place, and auditorium. It displays the Native American culture. Its mahogany door depicts a Native American man and woman honoring the tree of life crowned by corn. The thunderbird, a symbol of rain and life, is in the center. Each door weighs 700 pounds and took six months to carve.
In the ceiling, mosaics depict the daily activities of the Native American culture: a peace council, buffalo hunt, war party, and women hoeing corn. They are surrounded by sound deadening tiles. The mosaics and decorative borders were designed to look like beadwork. A tapestry portraying the Ogallala Sioux Sun Dance is also viewed in this room.
The West Chamber is now called the George W. Norris Chamber after the founder of Nebraska’s unicameral system. It’s the room where the legislature now meets. Meiere created a leather door showing an Assyrian man and woman planting a tree of life under an Egyptian sun. It signifies the agricultural foundation of western civilization.
The gold leaf scenes on the south beam of the ceiling are very elaborate. They represent Lewis and Clark, Coronado’s trip north from Mexico in the 1540s, and Sieur De Bourgmond exploring the Missouri in the 1710s. The north beams depict the cattlemen driving their herds and the homesteaders arriving from the east.
The Speaker’s niche displays mosaic prairie flowers and ears of corn. The bronze voting panel was the first installed in any statehouse in this country.
SUPREME COURT
The seven member Supreme Court meets one week out of every month hearing up to 250 cases a year. An 8,000 piece coffered, suspended, carved walnut ceiling is the architectural focal piece of this room. It has a corn and acorn motif. The tile walls display hand-woven tapestries which portray the Louisiana Territory’s early commerce and the Overland Trail. The Court of Appeals is adjacent. A constitutional amendment created this court in 1990. It meets the third week of every month.
MEMORIAL CHAMBER
Take an elevator to the Capitol’s 14th floor for a wonderful view overlooking Lincoln and the Capitol grounds. The central room is dedicated to forms of public heroism. The eight murals circling the room cover such topics as health workers, firemen and police, the military, and more. Two bronze plaques memorialize those who fell in the Civil War: Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address and the 1868 Memorial Day Proclamation.
EXTERIOR
When done with your tour, take a careful look at the Capitol’s exterior’s relief sculptures and inscriptions. They represent all of Western Civilization with the Spirit of the Law as Shown in its History. The series moves chronologically with each side having its own theme. The West Facade represents Law in the Ancient World while the South Pavilion is Written and Constitutional Law. The East Facade depicts The Spirit of Law in the New World. The north side is the main entrance. Its figures represent the constant guardians of the law: Power, Mercy, Justice, and Wisdom. Around the tower base, leaders of past ages are shown. These represent everyone from Moses to Socrates and Julius Caesar. A list of Nebraska counties is also on the exterior along the base of the Capitol.
STANDING ABRAHAM LINCOLN
The Standing Abraham Lincoln statue on the west side of the Capitol predates the Capitol. With funds allotted by the Nebraska legislature in 1903, it was dedicated September 2, 1912. Daniel Chester French who sculpted the Minute Man in Concord, Massachusetts received the commission. The statue’s attitude is the reverence Lincoln felt speaking over a grave when he spoke at the cemetery at Gettysburg on November 19, 1863. French collaborated with architect Henry Bacon to build the Lincoln Memorial and the sitting Lincoln in Washington, D.C.
Lincoln never set foot in Nebraska though he came close when he visited Kansas and Iowa. One of his last acts as president was to reappoint Alvin Saunders, Nebraska’s last territorial governor.
DETAILS
The Capitol is located at 1445 K Street in Lincoln. For tour information, call (402) 471-0448. Public hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. from Monday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, and 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday.
Free tours are offered Monday through Friday on the hour from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. On Saturdays, the tours are the same hours except there is no 9:00 a.m. tour. On Sunday, the tours are on the hour from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.. You can have a virtual tour on their web site.
A gift shop is open Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The cafeteria serves lunch from Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
HAYMARKET AREA
In 2014, the Haymarket area was listed on the National Register by the National Park Service as Lincoln Haymarket Historic District. Bounded by 9th and 10th, Q and R Streets, Haymarket Square has been within two blocks of this location since it was established during Lincoln’s first decade.
It was originally an open-air market for produce and livestock, a camping ground for immigrants, and a general gathering place. It also provided space for teams of horses and served as a mart for hay. From 1886 until 1906, it served as the location for Lincoln’s first city hall. It is currently home to the Lincoln Journal’s printing plant and distribution facility. Warehouses, several of which remain today, have been a major part of its history.
In 1984, Lincoln adopted a redevelopment plan for the area. It’s now a mix of offices, retail stores, entertainment establishments, and homes. It holds special events like a Farmers Market. The area has two old hotel buildings. Modern hotels are at its east, west, and north edges.
One interesting shop worth investigating is Licorice International at 803 Q Street, Suite 300. It stocks 160 types of licorice from 13 countries and is the only store in the country to do this. We learned that the Dutch were the first to make licorice. Licorice can be salty, bitter, or sweet. The store also offers a line of chocolates and other gourmet foods and candy.
You’ll find licorice from Australia, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, Holland, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, New Zealand, and the United States. Their best seller in the store is Australian. The company also takes orders and ships licorice with Italian and Dutch being the most popular kinds on line. Their telephone number is (402) 488-2230.
For lunch, check out the Original Lazlo’s Brewery and Grill at 710 P Street. Established in 1991, it is Nebraska’s first brewpub and largest microbrewery. We had lunch there and found it to be the place for American comfort food, house-brewed beers, and an historic atmosphere. They offer happy hour specials , a patio, and a children’s menu. All their meat is grilled over a live fire of hickory wood. Their telephone number is (402) 434-5636. Hours are Sunday through Thursday 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and on Friday and Saturday open to 11:00 p.m.
While in the area, visit the Lincoln Convention and Visitors Bureau at 3 Landmark Centre
1128 Lincoln Mall, Suite 100 in Lincoln. Their telephone number is (402) 434-5335. Their web site is a great source of information. This is whom you should contact about anything you would like to know about Lincoln accommodations, restaurants, attractions, and events.
NEBRASKA HISTORY MUSEUM
Having visited wonderful state museums in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Colorado, I was bothered by the lack of quantity and quality of displays at the Nebraska History Museum. Only one floor, the second, had artifacts. However, since they have added exhibits on the first and third floors, other visitors may have a different opinion.
The only exhibit open was Nebraska Unwrapped: Selections from the Collections. On display were 150 artifacts selected from the 129,000 objects they have. These rotate on a regular basis on the second floor. They are shown by subject matter rather than chronologically.
I discovered miniature dolls of Presidents Van Buren, Harrison, Tyler, Polk, Taylor, Fillmore, Pierce, and Buchanan. In the transportation section, they showed a Lincoln Highway marker used to memorialize the highway. Part of that display was a U.S. mail wagon circa 1918 which was used in Gretna, Nebraska until 1933. It helped rural families receive letters, order and have delivered machinery and supplies, and ultimately improve roads to accommodate the service.
Maps from 1867 and 1883 and a windmill wheel used between the 1920's and 1940's composed their weather section. Made in Nebraska consisted of a 1942 Kool-Aid package and a vise-grip wrench. In their Early Nebraska section, visitors saw a tepee, dog pulling travois, and photos of Native Americans and a tepee village.
The most interesting artifact was a huge three-story, 12 room dollhouse built in 1930 by a Nebraska carpenter. It was built on a one inch to one foot scale. Most of its furniture was original with some made in Germany.
Two temporary exhibits are now open. Start Your Engines runs until August 31. Harold Mauck, photographer and race car driver documented Nebraska’s post World War II stock car racing culture. The museum features his work on the first floor. Visitors will also find cars and objects on loan from the Speedway Motors Museum of American Speed.
Take Our Picture: Sod House Portraits by Solomon Butcher is on until June 1, 2020. He produced 1,500 images and collected biographies and stories from Nebraska homesteaders. It’s touted as the best record of sod house settlement in the world.
Nebraska History Museum is located at 131 Centennial Mall N. Their telephone number is (402) 471-4782. Admission is free. Hours are Monday through Friday 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Saturday 1:00-5:00 p.m., and Sunday closed. Tours are offered upon request. Call (402) 471-4757 to arrange one.
Spend a day in downtown Lincoln, Nebraska and you’ll find “The Tower of the Plain”, also known as the Capitol, is fascinating to visit. A wealth of art, statues, mosaics, and inscriptions cover its entire interior and exterior. Afterwards, plan to visit the Nebraska History Museum then stop at the Haymarket, a historical shopping and restaurant area. It’s home to a unique licorice shop and Lincoln’s Convention and Visitors Bureau.
TOWER OF THE PLAINS
THE TEAM WHO CONSTRUCTED IT
Nebraska’s current Capitol is the third on the site. The first one built during 1867/68 lasted 20 years while the second, constructed in the late 1880's, lasted 30 years. Built of Nebraska limestone, they both failed because of poor foundations and weak stone. The people of Nebraska decided that it was essential to have a Capitol that endured. In 1919, the Capitol Commission selected from a nationwide competition, New York architect, Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue.
Born in Connecticut in 1869, Goodhue started his architectural career in 1884 as an apprentice learning drafting and elements of design, mostly Gothic. He later turned to classical and contemporary, establishing his own firm in 1914. He believed that architecture should inspire and enrich rather than just enclose. His other projects included the U.S. Military Chapel at West Point, St. Thomas and St. Bartholomew’s churches in New York City, the National Academy of Sciences Building in Washington, D.C., and the Los Angeles Public Library.
The other architects imitated our federal Capitol. Goodhue’s design stood out from the rest in capturing the spirit of Nebraska. His plan was to construct a tall “tower on the plains” that could be spotted from miles away. The tower was to serve as a landmark to honor soldiers. It would be on a broad low base reflecting the prairie’s expanse.
Goodhue was the first to use the tower design for a Capitol. Since that time, it has been copied by the states of Louisiana, Florida, and North Dakota.
His idea was to use Indiana limestone in a “cross within a square” that would be built in four phases. The other architects would have torn down the previous Capitol. However, with Goodhue’s plan, the outer square of the new building temporarily surrounded the existing second Capitol during the first phase. Government business would not have to rent new office space and could continue uninterrupted saving half a million dollars. Because of Nebraska’s “pay-as-you-go” plan budget, the Commission favored this idea.
The second phase razed the old building and finished the north, south, and east arms of the central cross. The tower was erected and the Sower statue placed on top during phase three while the fourth finished the west side. The Capitol was constructed between 1922 and 1932 at a cost of $9.8 million.
Goodhue surrounded himself with a team that would create his vision. Lee Lawrie, also a New Yorker, was hired to do the building’s sculptures. Lawrie, a master craftsman in stone and wood, specialized in architectural sculpture. He had worked in the studio of Beaux Arts sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens. Laurie had collaborated with Goodhue since 1895 on buildings complementing his early Gothic designs. His Nebraska Capitol commission brought his architectural sculpture into the modern era culminating with his work on Rockefeller Center. From 1921 to 1954, Lawrie received eight national architectural and sculptural awards.
All of Lawrie’s sculptures, except for the Sower, are engaged with the building instead of being free standing and independent. The Sower which stands 19-1/2 feet tall on a 12-1/2 foot base is the only one in the round. It represents Nebraska’s agriculture and serves as a lightning rod to the building. The rest are in bas relief with their form coming from the stone, buttresses and pylons of the building face.
Hildreth Meiere, another New Yorker, was responsible for all of the building’s mosaics. She hoped to be a muralist and started her career designing sets and costumes for New York City’s Metropolitan Opera. She joined the Navy during World War I where she was trained in architectural drafting. Goodhue hired her to do commissions on the National Academy of Science and the Nebraska Capitol at the same time since the buildings shared common designs.
She was young and no one had ever heard of her before. The Academy asked who she was and was told she was doing the mosaics on the floor and ceiling at the Capitol. The Capitol Commission asked who she was and were told she was doing mosaics on the dome at the Academy. Thus, both places accepted her. She received the 1928 Gold Medal in Mural Painting from the Architectural League of New York for her work on the Capitol. She later was commissioned for work at Radio City Music Hall.
Since the New Yorkers were rarely on the site, the Capitol Commission strongly suggested that Dr. Hartley Burr Alexander, dean and professor of philosophy at the University of Nebraska, be hired to write inscriptions and help shape symbols. He had studied and written extensively about Native American cultures. He had also written many books and essays on democracy and political thought. His collaboration with Goodhue led to other buildings: Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha, Oregon State Capitol, Rockefeller Center, and the Los Angeles Public Library.
Alexander’s philosophy is found on all the inscriptions on the building’s exterior and interior walls. For his inscriptions, he drew upon other philosophers, Native American lore, statesmen, and his own ideas.
When Goodhue died unexpectedly in 1924, Alexander became thematic director as the artists finished decorating the halls. Themes throughout the Capitol are based on the state’s human settlement from Native Americans to cattlemen and also on the development of democracy as a form of government.
Alexander, a strong advocate for the new Capitol, loved the designs but took issue with some of the symbols. He convinced Goodhue that using winged buffaloes, which were initially on the front entrance, was a wrong idea. He also advised Meiere that her Senate room mural of the Native American hunting party should have men stripped down to their waist instead of in full finery and headdresses.
Almost daily, on trains, letters crisscrossed the nation between New York and Lincoln. Details about how the art could have impact and meaning were sent to Laurie and Meiere. Everything in the building was to have a meaning with themes that tied everything together.
Goodhue and Alexander mapped out thematic plans, including types of material, down to the last detail. The Capitol’s art, floor mosaics, tiles, sculptures, murals, and inscriptions were all carefully planned.
Goodhue’s Nebraska supplier, Sunderland Brothers Co., traveled to Italy to obtain large marble slabs, mined from the mountains, for the Capitol’s massive pillars. Approximately 40 different types of marble from different countries were used.
After Lawrie made his designs in plaster models, he hired European stone carvers to create the exterior sculptures. Edward Ardolino Inc. (a stone carving company) employed Alessandro Beretta to sculpt the carvings on the site. Beretta often took as long as ten weeks per panel and used as many as 70 different tools. An electric railroad encircled the Capitol to deliver steel, marble, and limestone because of their heavy weight.
The Capitol was to be a masterpiece of art and architecture portraying Nebraska’s people, its history, and its spirit. Everything in the building was to tell a story. The goal was for it to become a giant three-dimensional book about Nebraska and world history to be interpreted by tour guides.
GOVERNOR’S SUITE
The suite designed in the Italian Renaissance style consists of the Hearing Room, Reception Room, Secretary’s Office used by the Chief of Staff, and the Governor’s Private Office. It’s the most ornamental suite in the Capitol. In the Hearing Room, the governor meets with visitors and conducts news conferences.
The suite features custom furnishings. Visitors also spot matched walnut wainscoting, decorative plaster relief, three fireplaces, and painted and stenciled ceilings. Decorative details in the suite feature such agricultural symbols as corn, wheat, and bison.
A highlight in the reception room is the ceiling’s oil on canvas mural by Augustus Vincent Tack. It simulates fresco while depicting the timelessness of rights and responsibilities of citizens in a democracy. This includes the rights of suffrage and freedom of speech.
THE GREAT HALL
This hall, also called the foyer and the Hall of Fame, connects the vestibule and rotunda. It is where you go to start your tour. Its theme is The Life of Man.
At this location, you’ll find Hildreth Meiere’s floor mosaics composed of white Italian and black Belgian marble. Her encircled figures represent the Spirit of the Soil, Spirit of Vegetation, and the Spirit of Animal Life. They show the interaction between Nebraskans and nature. Meiere rendered the drawings on paper. Stone was then cut and glued to the paper with each piece numbered. Artisans later reassembled them on the floors.
The three medallions in the ceiling represent Traditions of the Past, Life of the Present, and Ideas of the Future. The window arches have figures depicting the family, school, recreation, reflection, beauty, and truth. The four inward facing ceiling panels symbolize law, labor, public spirit, and religion.
Goodhue left 12 spaces for paintings in the Great Hall, Vestibule, and Rotunda, but they weren’t added until decades later because of lack of funding during the Depression. In 1967, six Venetian glass wall murals were added to celebrate the state’s centennial. These were The United States Survey by Charles Clement; The Blizzard of 1888 and Tree Planting by Jeanne Reynal; The Coming of the Railroad by F. John Miller; and The Spirit of Nebraska and The Building of the Capitol by Reinhold Marxhausen.
THE VESTIBULE
The room’s theme is Gifts of Nature to Man on the Plains. A dominating symbol is the sun found on the top of the dome, the chandelier, and the large floor mosaic. Nebraska’s agricultural products surround the sun in a large circle in the dome. The dome’s corners depict agriculture’s four seasons. In the arches around the dome, visitors find pictures of Nebraska’s animals.
On the walls, the pioneers arrive and settle Nebraska. Three of James Penney’s murals added in 1964 are The Homesteaders' Campfire, The First Furrow, and The House Raising.
ROTUNDA
This is my favorite area because of the vibrancy of Meiere’s floor mosaics. She was strongly influenced by the Siena Cathedral in Siena, Italy. On the floor, you’ll find a flowing Earth Mother surrounded by the Geniuses of Water, Fire, Air and Soil. The border, surrounding the elements, depicts extinct prehistoric plants and animals. Aquatic animals represent water. Dinosaurs depict fire. Birds are recognized by air; while with the earth, it’s the ice age mammals.
To get accurate designs for the Rotunda floor, Meiere consulted with Erwin Hinckley Barbour, director of the University of Nebraska State Museum. Barbour had achieved fame as a paleontologist. He supplied at least 24 sketches which are now preserved in the Capitol Archive.
Since Meiere extended the area to the Nebraska Territory to include Utah, Kansas, and the Dakotas, she could use such animals as the mosasaur which was known in Kansas but not in Nebraska. Visitors looking at these mosaics also find a sabre-toothed cat and a duckbill dinosaur.
The Rotunda, located in the building’s center, is 110 feet high. Its theme is The Virtues of the State. Eight winged virtues form a celestial rose within the mosaic dome: Temperance, Wisdom, Faith, Justice, Magnanimity, Charity, Hope, and Courage. Three large paintings by Kenneth Evett were added in 1956 representing industrial enterprises, intellectual works, and humanitarian works. They are titled The Labors of the Hand, The Labors of the Head, and The Labors of the Heart.
EAST AND WEST CHAMBERS
Goodhue created two rooms of equal size as there were originally 34 senators and 100 representatives when he built the Capitol. The two rooms were supposed to be mirror images. Both were to have ornamental domes with themes of cultural history.
In 1934, citizens passed an initiative to amend the Nebraska Constitution. The first session of the Unicameral nonpartisan legislature was held in 1937. The 49 members of the Legislature serve districts of roughly equal size. They’re allowed two consecutive four-year terms which are in session every year. In odd-numbered years, they meet for 90 days while in even-numbered years they meet for 60 days.
No political party is listed for candidates on the ballot. The two who obtain the most votes in the primary election face each other in the general election. Half are up for election each year.
The East Chamber, now called the Warner Legislative Chamber, originally housed the Senate. The area is now used as a hearing room, meeting place, and auditorium. It displays the Native American culture. Its mahogany door depicts a Native American man and woman honoring the tree of life crowned by corn. The thunderbird, a symbol of rain and life, is in the center. Each door weighs 700 pounds and took six months to carve.
In the ceiling, mosaics depict the daily activities of the Native American culture: a peace council, buffalo hunt, war party, and women hoeing corn. They are surrounded by sound deadening tiles. The mosaics and decorative borders were designed to look like beadwork. A tapestry portraying the Ogallala Sioux Sun Dance is also viewed in this room.
The West Chamber is now called the George W. Norris Chamber after the founder of Nebraska’s unicameral system. It’s the room where the legislature now meets. Meiere created a leather door showing an Assyrian man and woman planting a tree of life under an Egyptian sun. It signifies the agricultural foundation of western civilization.
The gold leaf scenes on the south beam of the ceiling are very elaborate. They represent Lewis and Clark, Coronado’s trip north from Mexico in the 1540s, and Sieur De Bourgmond exploring the Missouri in the 1710s. The north beams depict the cattlemen driving their herds and the homesteaders arriving from the east.
The Speaker’s niche displays mosaic prairie flowers and ears of corn. The bronze voting panel was the first installed in any statehouse in this country.
SUPREME COURT
The seven member Supreme Court meets one week out of every month hearing up to 250 cases a year. An 8,000 piece coffered, suspended, carved walnut ceiling is the architectural focal piece of this room. It has a corn and acorn motif. The tile walls display hand-woven tapestries which portray the Louisiana Territory’s early commerce and the Overland Trail. The Court of Appeals is adjacent. A constitutional amendment created this court in 1990. It meets the third week of every month.
MEMORIAL CHAMBER
Take an elevator to the Capitol’s 14th floor for a wonderful view overlooking Lincoln and the Capitol grounds. The central room is dedicated to forms of public heroism. The eight murals circling the room cover such topics as health workers, firemen and police, the military, and more. Two bronze plaques memorialize those who fell in the Civil War: Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address and the 1868 Memorial Day Proclamation.
EXTERIOR
When done with your tour, take a careful look at the Capitol’s exterior’s relief sculptures and inscriptions. They represent all of Western Civilization with the Spirit of the Law as Shown in its History. The series moves chronologically with each side having its own theme. The West Facade represents Law in the Ancient World while the South Pavilion is Written and Constitutional Law. The East Facade depicts The Spirit of Law in the New World. The north side is the main entrance. Its figures represent the constant guardians of the law: Power, Mercy, Justice, and Wisdom. Around the tower base, leaders of past ages are shown. These represent everyone from Moses to Socrates and Julius Caesar. A list of Nebraska counties is also on the exterior along the base of the Capitol.
STANDING ABRAHAM LINCOLN
The Standing Abraham Lincoln statue on the west side of the Capitol predates the Capitol. With funds allotted by the Nebraska legislature in 1903, it was dedicated September 2, 1912. Daniel Chester French who sculpted the Minute Man in Concord, Massachusetts received the commission. The statue’s attitude is the reverence Lincoln felt speaking over a grave when he spoke at the cemetery at Gettysburg on November 19, 1863. French collaborated with architect Henry Bacon to build the Lincoln Memorial and the sitting Lincoln in Washington, D.C.
Lincoln never set foot in Nebraska though he came close when he visited Kansas and Iowa. One of his last acts as president was to reappoint Alvin Saunders, Nebraska’s last territorial governor.
DETAILS
The Capitol is located at 1445 K Street in Lincoln. For tour information, call (402) 471-0448. Public hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. from Monday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, and 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday.
Free tours are offered Monday through Friday on the hour from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. On Saturdays, the tours are the same hours except there is no 9:00 a.m. tour. On Sunday, the tours are on the hour from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.. You can have a virtual tour on their web site.
A gift shop is open Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The cafeteria serves lunch from Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
HAYMARKET AREA
In 2014, the Haymarket area was listed on the National Register by the National Park Service as Lincoln Haymarket Historic District. Bounded by 9th and 10th, Q and R Streets, Haymarket Square has been within two blocks of this location since it was established during Lincoln’s first decade.
It was originally an open-air market for produce and livestock, a camping ground for immigrants, and a general gathering place. It also provided space for teams of horses and served as a mart for hay. From 1886 until 1906, it served as the location for Lincoln’s first city hall. It is currently home to the Lincoln Journal’s printing plant and distribution facility. Warehouses, several of which remain today, have been a major part of its history.
In 1984, Lincoln adopted a redevelopment plan for the area. It’s now a mix of offices, retail stores, entertainment establishments, and homes. It holds special events like a Farmers Market. The area has two old hotel buildings. Modern hotels are at its east, west, and north edges.
One interesting shop worth investigating is Licorice International at 803 Q Street, Suite 300. It stocks 160 types of licorice from 13 countries and is the only store in the country to do this. We learned that the Dutch were the first to make licorice. Licorice can be salty, bitter, or sweet. The store also offers a line of chocolates and other gourmet foods and candy.
You’ll find licorice from Australia, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, Holland, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, New Zealand, and the United States. Their best seller in the store is Australian. The company also takes orders and ships licorice with Italian and Dutch being the most popular kinds on line. Their telephone number is (402) 488-2230.
For lunch, check out the Original Lazlo’s Brewery and Grill at 710 P Street. Established in 1991, it is Nebraska’s first brewpub and largest microbrewery. We had lunch there and found it to be the place for American comfort food, house-brewed beers, and an historic atmosphere. They offer happy hour specials , a patio, and a children’s menu. All their meat is grilled over a live fire of hickory wood. Their telephone number is (402) 434-5636. Hours are Sunday through Thursday 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and on Friday and Saturday open to 11:00 p.m.
While in the area, visit the Lincoln Convention and Visitors Bureau at 3 Landmark Centre
1128 Lincoln Mall, Suite 100 in Lincoln. Their telephone number is (402) 434-5335. Their web site is a great source of information. This is whom you should contact about anything you would like to know about Lincoln accommodations, restaurants, attractions, and events.
NEBRASKA HISTORY MUSEUM
Having visited wonderful state museums in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Colorado, I was bothered by the lack of quantity and quality of displays at the Nebraska History Museum. Only one floor, the second, had artifacts. However, since they have added exhibits on the first and third floors, other visitors may have a different opinion.
The only exhibit open was Nebraska Unwrapped: Selections from the Collections. On display were 150 artifacts selected from the 129,000 objects they have. These rotate on a regular basis on the second floor. They are shown by subject matter rather than chronologically.
I discovered miniature dolls of Presidents Van Buren, Harrison, Tyler, Polk, Taylor, Fillmore, Pierce, and Buchanan. In the transportation section, they showed a Lincoln Highway marker used to memorialize the highway. Part of that display was a U.S. mail wagon circa 1918 which was used in Gretna, Nebraska until 1933. It helped rural families receive letters, order and have delivered machinery and supplies, and ultimately improve roads to accommodate the service.
Maps from 1867 and 1883 and a windmill wheel used between the 1920's and 1940's composed their weather section. Made in Nebraska consisted of a 1942 Kool-Aid package and a vise-grip wrench. In their Early Nebraska section, visitors saw a tepee, dog pulling travois, and photos of Native Americans and a tepee village.
The most interesting artifact was a huge three-story, 12 room dollhouse built in 1930 by a Nebraska carpenter. It was built on a one inch to one foot scale. Most of its furniture was original with some made in Germany.
Two temporary exhibits are now open. Start Your Engines runs until August 31. Harold Mauck, photographer and race car driver documented Nebraska’s post World War II stock car racing culture. The museum features his work on the first floor. Visitors will also find cars and objects on loan from the Speedway Motors Museum of American Speed.
Take Our Picture: Sod House Portraits by Solomon Butcher is on until June 1, 2020. He produced 1,500 images and collected biographies and stories from Nebraska homesteaders. It’s touted as the best record of sod house settlement in the world.
Nebraska History Museum is located at 131 Centennial Mall N. Their telephone number is (402) 471-4782. Admission is free. Hours are Monday through Friday 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Saturday 1:00-5:00 p.m., and Sunday closed. Tours are offered upon request. Call (402) 471-4757 to arrange one.
Nebraska Capitol Building in Lincoln, Nebraska
Life of Man - Spirit of Vegetation, in the foyer by Meiere
Vestibule Dome - Agricultural Products and Wild Animals
The House Raising by James Penney, mural in the Vestibule
The First Furrow by James Penney, mural in the Vestibule
Meiere's Mosaic of Earth Mother in the Rotunda
Our Guide Standing in the Center of the Rotunda
Earth Mother Surrounded by Geniuses of Water, Fire, Air, and Soil in Rotunda
Close Up View of the Genius of the Soil
Native American Doors to the East Chamber, the Warner Legislative Chamber
George W. Norris Chamber Where Legislature Meets
Supreme Court
Supreme Court Ceiling
View From 14th Floor Memorial Chamber
Standing Abraham Lincoln by Daniel Chester French
Haymarket Area
Licorice from Italy and New Zealand at Licorice International
Other Licorice You Can Buy at Licorice International
Nebraska History Museum
Presidential Dolls at Nebraska History Museum
Lincoln Highway Marker at Nebraska History Museum
U. S. Mail Wagon Circa 1918 in Transportation Section
Three Story Dollhouse Built in 1930 by a Nebraska Carpenter