Last updated: June 6, 2024
Place
Kentucky State Capitol
Olmsted Archives
Quick Facts
The Kentucky State Capitol building sits along thirty-four acres of the Kentucky River. While Ohio architect Frank Andrews designed the building, the grounds were left to Olmsted Brothers, making it one of the eleven capitol buildings the Olmsted firm worked on.
Receiving over one million dollars in federal funds, as reparations for damages suffered during the Civil War as well as compensation for services rendered during the Spanish-American War, Olmsted Brothers began their involvement on the project in 1905.
Between 1908 and 1910, Olmsted Brothers generated several plans for the Kentucky State Capitol, before its completion in 1910. Like other capitol buildings the Olmsted firm had worked on, the Kentucky State Capitol was situated on a peninsula overlooking a hill.
The neoclassical building is oriented on a north-south axis and set on a pedestal rising above a paved terrace, allowing for expansive views. The Kentucky State Capitol is nestled within expansive sloped parkland, with trees all along the perimeter.
Renovations in 1984 led to the reestablishment of the original Olmsted design, including a circular entry drive and brick terraces surrounding the building. As with many Olmsted-designed landscapes being reworked, the plans stored at Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site were crucial to its completion.
Source: "Kentucky State Capitol," The Cultural Landscape Foundation
For more information and primary resources, please visit:
Olmsted Research Guide Online
Olmsted Archives on Flickr
Receiving over one million dollars in federal funds, as reparations for damages suffered during the Civil War as well as compensation for services rendered during the Spanish-American War, Olmsted Brothers began their involvement on the project in 1905.
Between 1908 and 1910, Olmsted Brothers generated several plans for the Kentucky State Capitol, before its completion in 1910. Like other capitol buildings the Olmsted firm had worked on, the Kentucky State Capitol was situated on a peninsula overlooking a hill.
The neoclassical building is oriented on a north-south axis and set on a pedestal rising above a paved terrace, allowing for expansive views. The Kentucky State Capitol is nestled within expansive sloped parkland, with trees all along the perimeter.
Renovations in 1984 led to the reestablishment of the original Olmsted design, including a circular entry drive and brick terraces surrounding the building. As with many Olmsted-designed landscapes being reworked, the plans stored at Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site were crucial to its completion.
Source: "Kentucky State Capitol," The Cultural Landscape Foundation
For more information and primary resources, please visit:
Olmsted Research Guide Online
Olmsted Archives on Flickr