Kentucky State Capitol
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Kentucky State Capitol
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Kentucky State Capitol Front Exterior
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| Coordinates | 38°11′12″N 84°52′31″W / 38.1867°N 84.8753°WCoordinates: 38°11′12″N 84°52′31″W / 38.1867°N 84.8753°W |
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| Built | 1905-1909 |
| Architect | Frank Mills Andrews |
| Architectural style | Beaux-Arts |
| NRHP Reference # | 73000804 |
| Added to NRHP | April 13, 1973 |
The Kentucky State Capitol is located in Frankfort and is the house of the three branches (executive, legislative, judicial) of the state government of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
From 1792 to 1830, two buildings were used as the capitol, both of which burned completely.
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.
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.
The capitol was designed by Frank Mills Andrews, a distinguished and award-winning architect. He used the Beaux-Arts style and included many classical French interior designs. The staircases, for example, are replicas of those of the Opéra Garnier in Paris.
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.
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