Construction of the Central Building

The 1881 legislature authorized the construction of the central portion of the Capitol and appropriated additional funds for the completion of the west wing. Work began in 1884 on the remodeling of the Senate Chamber and construction of the central portion of the building. The excavations for the foundations, which support the dome, extend more than 25 feet into the ground, to a bearing strata of natural bedrock. Workmen doing the excavation work discovered a spring in the rock. The spring still flows beneath the Capitol. The contract for roofing the main building and dome was let in May of 1889.

The original blueprints and architectural drawings of the Capitol show that the second floor was designated as the executive floor, and included the constitutional offices of the State Auditor, Superintendent of Public Instruction, Secretary of State, Governor, Attorney General and State Treasurer.