We spent the night in
Kansas City Missouri and then drove into Topeka, Kansas to see the Kansas State
Capitol. Every Capitol we have visited has had its own uniqueness and the
Kansas State Capitol was no exception. There are two things that stand
out in my mind that make the Kansas Capitol unique. The first is that
there is copper everywhere you look, the stair railings the imprinted columns,
and the ceilings to name just a few. The second is that unlike most
Capitol buildings where a rotunda might have been built and then wings added
on, this capital built the side wings, one at a time and later added the
rotunda. Most of the murals in this Capitol was commissioned more than 30
years after the completion of the Capitol and some much later than that.
But the highlight for sure is the brilliance of the large amounts of
Copper used throughout the building that is especially beautiful after the
recently completed 13-year 325 Million Dollar renovation.
The Monroe Elementary
School was operated as one of four schools in Topeka for African American
children up to 1954. It is now the site of the Brown vs. Board of
Education National Historic Site. When people think of this court
case they think of the 3rd-grade student, Linda Brown. But the
case is more complicated than that. In 1952 the Supreme Court had several
similar cases on its docket that challenged the legality of racially segregated
public schools. At the same time, Linda Brown had to walk through a
dangerous rail switch yard to catch a bus that took her to a school 3 miles
away, all while there was a white school just a few blocks from her home.
The decision to name Brown at the beginning of a lawsuit that represented
13 clients was due to Linda Brown’s father, a man bringing the suit. It
was felt that having a man at the beginning of the named suit was a better
strategy than a woman. The case took 3 years and on May 31, 1955, the
Justices handed down a plan for how it was to proceed; desegregation was to
proceed with "all deliberate speed." All deliberate speed
later was an excuse for delaying the implementation of the intentions of the
judge. But the case was important. It is just sad that it took so
long to begin making progress.
Our last visit to the
area was in Kansas City. Ever since I first saw Thomas Benton’s work in
the Missouri Capitol, I became an instant fan. So given a chance to tour
his home and also his studio in Kansas City was a no-brainer. He died at
the age of 86 while working in his studio, which today is just as he left
it. At age 33 Benton married one of his art students. They were married
for almost 53 years. She was the financial brains and he was the artist.
We found this a bit unusual. Prior to any painting, he would create a
maquette a 3-D model and the depth of what he was going to paint. Few
remain, as he would destroy them once the painting was done, using the
materials to create the next maquette. Many of his paintings depict the
life of the common man but also contain many political undertones. His
home we were surprised that it was not updated over the years. That said
we had never seen a fireplace at the entry and a staircase above that wrapped
around this centerpiece. We both thought this was beautifully done.
On to Fort Smith.
  Kansas State Capitol  Kansas State Capitol    Kansas State Capitol  Kansas State Capitol   By John Steuart Curry
This famous painting made a legend of
John Brown, and included Coronado and Padre Padilla
Kansas State Capitol
 in Governor's Office Kansas State Capitol  Kansas State Capitol  Kansas State Capitol  Kansas State Capitol  Kansas State Capitol  Kansas State Capitol  Kansas State Capitol   by Michael Young Kansas State Capitol  Brown VS. Board of Education National Park   Brown VS. Board of Education National Park  Brown VS. Board of Education National Park  Brown VS. Board of Education National Park  Brown VS. Board of Education National Park   Thomas Benton Home  Thomas Benton Home   Thomas Benton Home   Thomas Benton Home |
