Scorned And Praised, Connecticut Capitol An Emblem Of The Gilded Age
By Daniela Altimari, The Hartford Courant | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
Renowned architectural historian
And a scathing takedown published in the
But
"The little kids love it," said
The white stone exterior, punctuated by turrets, stained glass and rose windows, is reminiscent of a French cathedral; they give the building "a fairy tale feel," Fabrizio said.
Situated just past the lawn of
Designed and constructed at the height of
"It really does say this is
The Capitol was built in the era of
"It must have been a wonderful time, at least for the Yankee elites, to live in
Richard M. Upjohn was chosen to design the building. Born in
The stained glass is an obvious similarity, Fabrizio noted. But she also points to the water fountains, which resemble baptismal fonts. The fountains are purely decorative now, but when the building opened, they were used to fill buckets to provide water for legislators' horses.
But though Upjohn was the architect, his vision was ultimately muted.
Initially, Batterson wanted to be involved in construction of the new Capitol, Fabrizio said. He submitted plans with
But Batterson still kept his hands in things, Fabrizio said. He became the superintendent of the project, which allowed him to tinker with Upjohn's design. The building's distinct architecture, high-Victorian Gothic, with Italianate and classical elements, is the legacy of the artistic tension between the two men.
One of the elements that Upjohn had originally envisioned was a clock tower at the top of the building. But Batterson and others on the committee overseeing the construction wanted a dome, which they believed would give the Capitol a greater sense of authority. "It was construction by committee," Fabrizio said.
Other changes were made as well, some driven by the project's budget; for despite
Upjohn wanted supporting piers made of solid granite, Fabrizio said. But a consulting engineer came up with a way to save
"At some point during the project, there was a miscalculation and some of the bricks settled and you started seeing cracks develop," Fabrizio said as she brushed by one of the large granite-clad columns.
Upjohn's solution was to remove pieces of stone and pour in melted typsetter's metal, which would not contract. In all, 12 tons of metal was used, Fabrizio said. It worked but "it also added close to
The cost of the new Capitol, projected at
"The state Capitol was literally in terms of location and impressiveness the crowning achievement of the era," Woodard said. "I'm sure there were critics at the time who said it was an ugly monstrosity but I think most people liked it."
And they still do. "People love the architecture and the patterns," Fabrizio said.
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