A house befitting Oklahoma’s people
riday marks 100 years since our great state’s new Capitol building was declared open for business, and when then-Gov. Robert L. Williams moved in. June 30, 1917, was a momentous date for Oklahoma’s people and our state. After 10 years of statehood, the new Capitol represented a permanent home for our previously nomadic state government. Oklahoma finally had a seat of government worthy of its citizens.
The days leading up to the completion date of the Capitol were filled with government employees busy unpacking belongings and setting up offices. With signage yet to be installed, visitors wandered sometimes aimlessly around the cavernous corridors. In many ways, the situation was jarring — here was this incredible architectural monument in the middle of nowhere, situated a few miles northeast of Oklahoma City on farmland once belonging to the Harn and Culbertson families.
The road to a new Capitol building was filled with obstacles. Originally, the capital city was situated in Guthrie, but by 1910 it was clear that Oklahoma City was going to be the center of commerce. It also seemed appropriate because Oklahoma City was in the heart of the state. A special election in June of that year made it official, with 70 percent of voters approving the change. After numerous fits and starts — including a U.S. Supreme Court decision, a special legislative session and another statewide election — the issue was finally settled in 1912. Work could finally begin on a new Capitol building.
On the morning of July 20, 1914, thenGov. Lee Cruce sunk his silver-plated pick-axe into the ground to officially signify the beginning of construction. State pride was on full display! American flags waved in the breeze as the governor extolled the virtue of work regarding building “the people’s house.” To the crowd of 5,000, he said, “This is not a time for speechmaking, but a time for work. Talking may be all right in arranging and planning for a state Capitol, but talking never built a state Capitol and never will. It takes work, good, hard, honest labor to build such an edifice as we are starting today.”
Over the next three years, hundreds of tradesmen, skilled and unskilled, took the governor’s words to heart as they built a temple of democracy for the state.
The Capitol was completed a month ahead of schedule, with all the modern conveniences of 1917: a ventilation system that delivered fresh air to every area of the building, as well as telephone service, electricity and elevators. The dome was nixed due to budget concerns —they prioritized building for the offices required, though they had the foresight to build the structural support necessary for a future dome — but the building was still impressive. The Capitol covers nearly 11 acres of floor space, and originally contained 33 vaults and 650 rooms. The approach, with 26 granite steps leading up to a portico with six towering Corinthian columns, was called a “triumph of beauty” by The Daily Oklahoman.
On the 100th anniversary of our Capitol, we reflect on the bold vision of our kinsmen who hoped to build something great for the generations of Oklahomans who would follow. They did build something great, and I have been incredibly honored to work in their beautiful handiwork. They built a house truly befitting Oklahoma’s great people.