After a controversial 322 million dollar face-lift at the Kansas Capitol Building in Topeka returns to its former glory.
My mother’s twin sister and her family lived in Topeka, Kansas. For all the years I was growing up I just thought the capitol building had a green dome. It wasn’t until later that I learned the dome was actually bronze and the green was just because the weather conditions had tarnished its original color. The condition called verdigris. I like the etymology of the word. It is french and was originally written Vert de Grece meaning Green of Greece, because all the Greek statues had had their original color turned green to to weatherization. I digress but the dome wasn’t always green. Today the dome on the Kansas Capitol building is back (for now) to its original bronze color.
Not only has the dome been cleaned up and polished back to the original color but the entire building has had major work done. The work has not been without controversy. While the state government was dramatically reducing the budget for education and social services and had significantly eliminated revenue through massive tax cuts, the state still managed a three hundred plus million dollar renovation of the capitol. While the results are beautiful, many in the state felt that such discretionary largesse seemed shortsighted and bordered on elitism. Political differences aside no one would seem to argue that the capitol building has become quite the showplace.
The interior of the capitol
The building is a state treasure and has free admission
