TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - Gov. Sam Brownback on Wednesday formally saluted the revamped Kansas Statehouse, dedicating the building’s renovation to what he called “the glory of God and the people of the great state of Kansas.”
Brownback was joined at the Capitol by historical re-enactors, current and former legislators and hundreds of Kansas residents to formally dedicate the updated building on the 153rd anniversary of statehood.
His remarks were followed by a 19-gun salute from howitzers fired by the Kansas National Guard and the cutting of cake.
The 13-year renovation cost nearly $330 million and included new ventilation and electrical systems, replacement of the roof and dome, and construction of a visitor center. The project was financed with bonds.
Construction on the Statehouse began in October 1866 and was completed 37 years later. The original cornerstone was dedicated but later removed when issues arose over the stability of the foundation. The building was never formally dedicated once completed over concerns about the length of the project and the expense at the time.
“We stand here today with the finished product. All I can say is wow!” said House Speaker Ray Merrick, a Stilwell Republican.
Merrick recalled that he took a summer job in 1958 laying concrete sidewalks at the Statehouse, remarking at the time that the building was already showing signs of needing repair.
“This is the end result and we should all be proud of it,” Merrick said.
Speakers took turns Wednesday praising the restored grandeur of the building and how it keeps the vision of the state’s founders to create a “monument to democracy” on the Kansas plains.
Members of the Lecompton Re-enactors roamed the building portraying earlier Kansas figures, including John Brown, James Lane, Charles Robinson and Gov. James Denver.
Paul Bahnmaier, playing the role of Denver, said the renovations to the building create a fitting location for current and future generations to learn more about Kansas and its role in U.S. history.
“I think what’s been accomplished in this building has been fantastic,” he said.
Bahnmaier said the restorations and new visitor center will be economic and historical assets to the state, telling the story of Kansas and its political, business and cultural leaders through the years.
One re-enactor who spoke during the dedication portrayed Alfred Fairfax, a former slave born in 1839 in Virginia who settled in Kansas. Fairfax was the first black elected to the Legislature. One of the bills he introduced sought to abolish segregated schools. It was in 1954 that the U.S. Supreme Court decided the Brown v. Board of Education lawsuit with roots in Topeka that ended segregated schools.
House Minority Leader Paul Davis, a Lawrence Democrat, recalled some of the more infamous times in the building’s history, including the legislative war of 1893 when Republicans and Populists fought for control. A sledgehammer on display in the basement of the Statehouse is a reminder of that time. Davis said it took a sledgehammer, the militia and the Supreme Court to resolve the dispute.
“Let’s hope we don’t repeat that,” he said.
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