The Kansas State Capitol Building in Topeka is one of the largest in the U.S. The cornerstone was laid in 1866, and construction was completed 37 years later at cost of $3,200,588.92 ($83 million today). Materials include native Kansas wild cherry wood; marble from Belgium, Italy, France, and Tennessee; Mexican onyx; and local copper hammered by Italian artisans. The 1923 hand-operated elevator is one of the few still in use. Read more Topeka and Kansas history in Tazia and Gemma (see NOVELS).
