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== External links ==
== External links ==
*[http://www.ok.gov/ Oklahoma State website]
*[http://www.ok.gov/ Oklahoma State website]
*[http://voicesofoklahoma.com/interview/ford-charles/ Voices of Oklahoma interview with Charles Ford.] First person interview conducted on August 03, 2010 with Charles Ford talks about the historical significance of the Senate Collection at the Oklahoma State Capitol. Original audio and transcript archived with [http://voicesofoklahoma.com Voices of Oklahoma oral history project.]


== References ==
== References ==

Revision as of 18:53, 18 March 2015

Oklahoma State Capitol
The Oklahoma State Capitol
LocationOklahoma City, Oklahoma
Built1919
ArchitectFrankfurt-Short-Bruza
Architectural styleRenaissance, Classical Revival
NRHP reference No.76001572[1]
Added to NRHP1976

The Oklahoma State Capitol is the house of government of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It is the building that houses the Oklahoma Legislature and executive branch offices. It is located along Lincoln Boulevard in Oklahoma City. The present structure includes a dome completed in 2002. The building is a National Historic Landmark.

Oklahoma's first capital was Guthrie, Oklahoma, but it moved to Oklahoma City in 1910. Construction began on the Oklahoma State Capitol in 1914 and was completed in 1917. Originally, it housed the judicial branch of Oklahoma, but the state's high courts moved to the Oklahoma Judicial Center in 2011.

The state capitol complex is the only state capitol grounds in the United States with active oil rigs.

History

Early capital of Guthrie (1889–1910)

Oklahoma's territorial capital and first state capital was located in the city of Guthrie.[2] The settlement of the first state capital began at noon on April 22, 1889, when cannons sounded the start of the Oklahoma land run.[3] The town was designated as the territorial capital in 1890.[2]

Entrance to Oklahoma State Capitol (1972 photograph)

Move to Oklahoma City and construction (1910–1917)

State government officials let voters decide on whether or not to move the capital to Oklahoma City. On June 11, 1910, the state seal was taken from Guthrie and moved south to Oklahoma City, where the Oklahoma State Capitol is located today. Lee Cruce, the second Governor of Oklahoma commissioned the architectural construction of the present day structure. Prior to its construction, state government offices were housed in the Huckins Hotel in downtown Oklahoma City.[4]

Construction on the Oklahoma State Capitol began after a groundbreaking ceremony on July 20, 1914.[5] The building was completed on June 30, 1917.[5]

Expansion and change (1998-present)

In 1998, state legislators and the governor enacted legislation to create the Oklahoma Centennial Act, which formed the Oklahoma Capitol Complex and Centennial Commemoration Commission.[5] The commission worked to fund a dome for the Oklahoma State Capitol and construction of the dome began in 2001 and was completed in 2002. It included a 22 feet (6.7 m) bronze sculpture called The Guardian.[5] During exterior restoration work in 2014, engineers discovered significant cracks in the precast panels that comprise the dome.[6]

In 2006, plans were made to move the judicial branch into the old Oklahoma Historical Society building, as the agency was moving into the Oklahoma History Center.[5] The court offices moved to the new Oklahoma Judicial Center in 2011.[7]

Monument controversy

In 2009, Oklahoma State Representative Mike Ritze sponsored a bill to have a monument to the Ten Commandments installed at the capital. His family supplied $10,000 to fund the monument, which was installed in 2012.[8] The following year, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) sued Oklahoma over the placement of this religious monument on public property.[9] Later, the New York-based Satanic Temple, citing the government's constitutional obligation to not endorse any particular religion, announced they would apply to have a privately funded statue honoring Satan on the capitol grounds.[10]

The Ten Commandments monument was destroyed in October 2014 by a vandal.[11]

Exterior and Capitol complex

The north façade of the Capitol building.
See also: Oklahoma History Center

The Oklahoma State Capitol, located at 2300 North Lincoln Boulevard, Oklahoma City is composed primarily of white limestone and Oklahoma pink granite.[12] However, the building's dome is made of steel-reinforced concrete and reinforced plaster casts.[13]

The state capitol complex is famous for its oil wells and remains the only state capitol grounds in the United States with active oil rigs.[14] The capitol building is directly atop the Oklahoma City Oil Field.

The state capitol building and the surrounding government buildings, non-government agencies, museums, libraries, and tree lined streets and boulevards form the Oklahoma State Capitol Complex[15] or Capitol Campus. The complex includes the State Capitol Park, the Oklahoma History Center, the Oklahoma Judicial Center, and the Oklahoma Governor's Mansion. The 14,000-square-foot (1,300 m2) mansion has a limestone exterior to complement the Oklahoma State Capitol's exterior. The surrounding neighborhood is home to numerous restaurants and bars.

The Oklahoma History Center opened in 2005 and is operated by the Oklahoma Historical Society. It preserves the history of Oklahoma from prehistoric Native American tribes to the present day.

Interior

The west wing of the Capitol houses the Oklahoma House of Representatives chamber and offices. The east wing houses the Oklahoma Senate chamber and offices. The ceremonial office of the governor is located on the second floor. Elected state officials such as the state auditor and inspector, state treasurer, and state attorney general have offices on the first floor. The building also contains a museum, a cafeteria, and a barber shop.

Art

Chickasaw artist Mike Larsen's mural Flight of Spirit, honoring the Five Moons, notable 20th-century Native American ballerinas from Oklahoma is on display in the Capitol rotunda. Several large paintings by Wayne Cooper are on display in the building. Many of them depict the early heritage and oil history of the state. Seminole artist Enoch Kelly Haney's painting "The Earth and I are One" is on display on the first floor of the building.

The Senate lobby includes a 6 by 10 feet (1.8 m × 3.0 m) oil-on-canvas painting of the "Ceremonial Transfer of the Louisiana Purchase in New Orleans - 1803" by Mike Wimmer. The Senate Lounge displays a watercolor painting entitled "Community of Boling Springs" by Sonya Terpening.[16]

  • Oklahoma State Capitol Facade
    Oklahoma State Capitol Facade
  • Oil Rig at Oklahoma Capitol
    Oil Rig at Oklahoma Capitol
  • Oklahoma Capitol West Facade
    Oklahoma Capitol West Facade
  • Meeting Place Monument/Flag Plaza at Oklahoma Capitol
    Meeting Place Monument/Flag Plaza at Oklahoma Capitol

See also

External videos
video icon Oklahoma Capitol Building (15:23), C-SPAN[17]

References

  1. ^ "Oklahoma County," National Register of Historic Places
  2. ^ a b Wilson, Linda D. Guthrie. Oklahoma Historical Society. Retrieved 2015-03-13. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  3. ^ Hoig, Stan. Land Run of 1889. Oklahoma Historical Society. Retrieved 2015-03-13. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  4. ^ "Our History". Guthrie Oklahoma Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved 2015-03-13.
  5. ^ a b c d e Savage, Cynthia. Oklahoma Capitol. Retrieved 2015-03-13. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  6. ^ Green, Rick (23 December 2014). "Oklahoma's 12-year-old Capitol Dome is significantly cracked". The Oklahoman. Retrieved 2015-03-13.
  7. ^ Hoberock, Barbara (31 July 2011). "Oklahoma high courts move out of Capitol into Judicial Center". Tulsa World. Retrieved 2015-03-13.
  8. ^ McNutt, Michael (15 November 2012). "Ten Commandments monument is installed at Oklahoma state Capitol". The Oklahoman. Retrieved 2015-03-13.
  9. ^ "ACLU Challenges Oklahoma State Capitol Ten Commandments Monument" (Press release). American Civil Liberties Union. 13 August 2013. Retrieved 2015-03-13.
  10. ^ Burke, Daniel (9 December 2013). "Satanists want statue next to 10 Commandments". CNN. Retrieved 2015-03-13.
  11. ^ Evans, Sophie Jane (24 October 2014). "Oklahoma driver taken to mental facility for evaluation after 'smashing his car into Ten Commandments monument because Satan told him to do it'". Daily Mail. London. Retrieved 2015-03-13.
  12. ^ "Oklahoma State Capitol Art Collection". Oklahoma Arts Council. Retrieved 2013-03-13.
  13. ^ "Introduction". Oklahoma State Capitol Dome. Retrieved May 3, 2010.[dead link]
  14. ^ "State Capitol," Oklahoma County Website (accessed May 3, 2010)[dead link]
  15. ^ "Oklahoma State Capitol Complex Maps". Oklahoma Department of Transportation. Retrieved 2015-03-13.
  16. ^ "Senate Artwork". Oklahoma Senate. Retrieved 2015-03-13.
  17. ^ "Oklahoma Capitol Building". C-SPAN. April 12, 2012. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
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