Capt. Strobach, Geo. Faber & Jos. Burkhart visited St. Paul on Saturday, all bent on building the new capitol building. Hope they will succeed. (Weekly Valley Herald, Thursday, May 18, 1893, Page 8)
Geo. F. Faber of the firm of Strobach, Faber & Co., closed a contract with the well known firm of Lauer Bros. & Miller, of St. Paul, last week, whereby they are to furnish them 300,000 sewer brick to go into the basement of the new Capitol Building in that city. On the same day they also sold 35,000, to another firm in the same city. They are to commence shipping at once. George says that they will run as long as the weather holds good this season, as the outlook for next years business is much brighter since wheat took its upward jump. (Weekly Valley Herald, Thursday, September 2, 1897, Page 4)
The sub-basement walls and piers to be built of Minnesota limestone, cut to dimensions and laid in cement mortar, the upper walls to be faced with stone on the outside, and backed up on the inside with best selected hard-burned Chaska sewer brick, laid in cement mortar. (St. Paul Daily Globe, Sunday Morning, October 13, 1895, Page 20)
Channing Seabury, vice president of the Minnesota capitol commission, yesterday morning turned the first sod for the excavation wherein will be built the foundation for the new state capitol. (St. Paul Daily Globe, Thursday Morning, May 7, 1896, Page 2)
The state capitol commission has awarded the contract for excavation and foundation work on the new capitol to George J. Grant of St. Paul. His bid is $107,677. (Willmar Tribune, Tuesday, May 12, 1896, Page 4)
This concrete construction is nearly complete along the north side of the grounds, and as soon as it has become sufficiently hardened, the huge blocks of Winona stone which will constitute the foundation proper… (The Saint Paul Globe, Sunday, June 7, 1896, Page 2)
George J. Grant, who secured the contract for constructing the foundation has completed the work ahead of the time agreed upon… (The Saint Paul Globe, Sunday, November 22, 1896, Page 2)
Senator Iltis sent to the desk an article from a Minneapolis paper stating that the Chaska brick-makers were to get the contract for the brick to be used in the construction of the new state capitol, if they would withdraw in favor of Hastings. Senator Iltis sent also a telegram from the brick-makers denying the truth of the allegations contained in the article. (The St. Paul Globe, Friday, March 5, 1987, Page 5)
Messrs. Becker & Weibeler made a contract on Thursday last to furnish 350,000 brick for the building of an addition to the St. Peter hospital for insane which will be shipped at once. This, in connection with another good sale at Blue Earth city and orders from other places in sight, has encouraged the proprietors to start up work in their brick yard again this week. This ought to be good news for some of the idle men about town. There is also good prospects of our brick manufacturers getting a big contract to furnish brick for a part of the state capital, in which event they could run the yard at its fullest capacity all of next season. (Belle Plaine Herald, Wednesday, September 1, 1897, Page 5)
Messrs. Strobach, Faber & Co., have started up an additional brick machine, as they wish to carry over as many bricks as they can, for next spring anticipating that they will go into the new capitol building. (Weekly Valley Herald, Thursday, September 9, 1897, Page 1)
Geo. A. DuToit, a member of the Capitol commission, voted for Minnesota material in the construction of the new edifice from first to last, and is one of three members of that commission entitled to the thanks of our people. (Weekly Valley Herald, Thursday, September 9, 1897, Page 4)
The consignment of the St. Cloud granite received a few weeks ago is in readiness to be put in its place in the building, but nothing can be done until the first of April, when the work of building the walls of the new capitol will begin in earnest. The granite will form the basement, which will be thirteen feet high; above that the entire building will be of the white Georgia marble. The backing of the walls will be brick and a great deal of this material is now on the grounds. (The Saint Paul Globe, Thursday, January 6, 1898, Page 8)
“Besides the big marble blocks the contractors have much more material waiting upon the site. Foreman Joseph Bourgeault pointed out yesterday 300,000 yellow brick, which he said came from Chaska; a pile of gray granite blocks, finished and ready to place, which had been prepared by the eighty granite cutters now working at St. Cloud quarries; and a number of finished blocks of Kettle River stone ready for the dome supporting walls (St. Paul Capitol).” (Stone, D. H. Ranck Publishing Company, Chicago, May 1898, Volume XVI, Number 6, Page 517)
The legislature of 1893 passed an act to provide for the appointment of seven suitable persons, one from each congressional district in the state, to act and be known as the “Board of State Capitol Commissioners,” whose duty should be to secure the erection of a new state capitol, according to the provisions of the law. (The Saint Paul Globe, Wednesday, July 27, 1898, Page 9)
George A. Du Toit, of Chaska, from the Third congressional district. (The Saint Paul Globe, Wednesday, July 27, 1898, Page 10)
The board met and organized May 13, 1893, and have since been diligently engaged in the prosecution of their duties. (The Saint Paul Globe, Wednesday, July 27, 1898, Page 10)
The new site is bounded by University avenue on the north, Park avenue on the west, Wabasha street and Central avenue on the south and Cedar street on the east, and contains about 335,750 square feet, or 7 8/10 acres. It is on a commanding elevation, is easy of approach, and fronts upon one of the principal thoroughfares, being upon the direct line of travel between St. Paul and Minneapolis. Oct. 30, 1895, Cass Gilbert, of St. Paul, was appointed architect of the new capitol, and a design for the same, submitted by him, was adopted, of which a reproduction is shown herein. The board has proceeded with the construction of the new building as rapidly as the funds available would allow, and the stone work of the basement story is now complete, with the steel girders for the floor covering same in place. (The Saint Paul Globe, Wednesday, July 27, 1898, Page 10)
The corner stone yesterday made a part of the beautiful pile of marble and granite, fast becoming a thing of beauty under the hands of skilled workmen, is a plain granite block, enclosing a hermetically sealed metallic casket containing all the records of the day and generation. (The Saint Paul Globe, Wednesday, July 28, 1898, Page 1)
The Minnesota capitol commission expects the new capitol building to be completed up to the roof by Nov. 1. (The Princeton Union, Thursday, September 7, 1899, Page 8)
Page 470. The board in 1896 proceeded with the construction of the building, as rapidly as the funds available would allow; ground was broken on March 6; first stone laid June 23, the foundation completed November 24, of that year by George J. Grant; the steel girders were also put in place by the Universal Construction Company. During the next year concreting of the sub-basement floor, the drainage system of the same was completed by Lauer Bros. and Miller. The contract for general construction which included the erection of the main wall, the roof, the interior cross walls, vaults, the steel floor beams and the dome pieces (but not the dome itself) was awarded August 31, 1897, to Butler-Ryan Company of St. Paul. The facing of the basement exterior walls, steps, terraces, are of St. Cloud granite from the quarries of William C. Baxter, the faces of the superstructure were originally intended by the architect, to be of Minnesota stone, but in adherence to the fitness of a classic edifice it was deemed best to waive the consideration of state advertisement, and substitute for exterior finish marble from the quarries of
Page 471. Georgia. The interior walls, vaults, backing of exterior walls are best burnt Minnesota brick; the general foundation is of Winona stone, the dome pieces are of Kettle River sandstone, while the dome itself corresponds with the marble exterior. The brick walls and vaults are laid in domestic cement, the quality of which was thoroughly tested, the exterior facings are laid in imported non-staining cement. The laying of the comer stone was celebrated July 27, 1898, with appropriate ceremonies.
Page 473. The Capitol Commission on March 30, 1907, after nearly fourteen years of service, completed their labors, and in accordance with a law passed March 20, 1905, turned over the maintenance and care of the building to the Governor. (Minnesota in Three Centuries, Volume III, Lucius F. Hubbard, Return I. Holcombe, The Publishing Society of Minnesota, Mankato, Minnesota, 1908)