How an ancient Turkish temple inspired Kentucky’s Capitol

Shryock and Mordecai’s Greek Revival Capitol Masterpiece

Kentucky’s Old State Capitol came from fire and youth. After two statehouses burned down, the state held a contest in 1827.

The winner? Gideon Shryock, just 25 years old and fresh from training in Philadelphia.

He drew up plans for the first Greek Revival building west of the Appalachians, based on an ancient temple in Turkey.

Meanwhile, Harry Mordecai, a free Black craftsman who had bought freedom for his whole family, crafted the stunning plasterwork inside.

Together, they built an $85,000 limestone marvel with a self-supporting curved staircase that still wows visitors today.

Their creation served as Kentucky’s capitol for 80 years.

Fire Destroyed Two Capitols Before This Masterpiece

Kentucky lawmakers hit a roadblock in the 1820s. They lost two capitol buildings to fire – the first in 1813 and another in 1824.

Tired of meeting in temporary spaces, they approved a bill in December 1826 for a new state house. This time, they wanted something that wouldn’t burn down.

They held Kentucky’s first architectural competition, looking for a permanent home that wouldn’t go up in flames like the others.

A Young Builder Left Home for Big-City Training

Gideon Shryock started his career working for his dad, Mathias, a well-known builder in Lexington. Born in 1802, Gideon learned the basics but wanted better training.

At 21, he moved to Philadelphia, the hub of American architecture in 1823. He studied under William Strickland, who learned from the U.S. Capitol architect Benjamin Latrobe.

Strickland taught him the Greek Revival style popular on the East Coast. After a year, Gideon came back to Kentucky and opened his own office.

The 25-Year-Old Beat Veteran Architects

The 1827 contest for the new capitol got entries from established architects, but Shryock took his shot. His friends pushed him to try despite his age.

At just 25, with only two years of work experience, he drew up bold plans for a Greek-style building unlike anything in the western states.

The risk paid off when his design won the $150 prize. This win launched the career of Kentucky’s first locally-born trained architect.

Ancient Greek Temples Inspired the Bold Design

Shryock based his design on the Temple of Minerva Polias in Turkey, using a book called “The Antiquities of Ionia” from 1769 as his guide.

His building became the first true Greek Revival structure west of the Appalachian Mountains. The hill setting above the Kentucky River looked like ancient temple sites.

The design linked Kentucky’s young democracy with the birthplace of democratic government in ancient Greece.

Stone Came from Local Quarries and Prison Labor

Work began in 1827 with Shryock moving to Frankfort to watch every detail. Workers got limestone from quarries in Franklin and Mercer Counties.

Prisoners at the State Penitentiary cut some of the massive blocks. Joel Scott even built a steam-powered sawmill to cut stone more quickly.

The project mixed free workers, prisoners, and new technology.

Harry Mordecai Created Art After Buying His Freedom

The beautiful interior came from Harry Mordecai, a free Black craftsman born around 1784. He made all the detailed plasterwork in a bold Grecian style.

Mordecai earned enough money through plastering and bricklaying to buy freedom for himself, his wife, and their five children.

His family kept his original plaster molds until the great Frankfort flood of 1937.

The Floating Staircase Defied Gravity

The most amazing part of Shryock’s design was a curved, self-supporting stone staircase that seemed to float in air with no visible support.

Shryock used brick for the dome to make sure this capitol wouldn’t burn like the earlier ones. A domed lantern with twelve big windows sat on top.

The building mixed square, triangular, and circular shapes to create interior spaces.

Shryock Got Married in Front of His Unfinished Masterpiece

As the capitol took shape, Shryock’s personal life grew too. He married Elizabeth on June 30, 1829, with the unfinished building behind them.

The wedding happened just six months before the project finished in December 1829. The final cost reached about $85,000, a huge amount for that time.

This first major job secured Shryock’s reputation as a talented architect, all before he turned 28.

Lawmakers Moved In and Made History for 80 Years

The Kentucky General Assembly started using the new building in 1830.

The Senate and House chambers opened off the upper rotunda, giving lawmakers an impressive workplace.

For the next 80 years, this building housed Kentucky’s government through some of America’s toughest times.

Debates about slavery, the Civil War, and Reconstruction all happened under its roof, with famous figures like Henry Clay walking its halls.

The Capitol Witnessed Murder and War

The building stood through dramatic moments in Kentucky history.

Workers moved pioneer Daniel Boone and his wife Rebecca’s bodies there in 1845 after bringing them from Missouri.

During the Civil War, Confederate forces took over the building in September 1862, the only enemy capture of a state capitol during the war.

In 1900, someone shot Governor William Goebel outside the building and he died from his wounds, becoming the only U.S. governor killed while in office.

The Shryock-Mordecai Legacy Lives On Today

By the early 1900s, Kentucky’s government had outgrown the building, and lawmakers moved to a new capitol in 1910.

The old building found new life in 1920 when the Kentucky Historical Society turned it into a museum. Workers restored it to its 1850s appearance, and in 1971 it became a National Historic Landmark.

Today, visitors can still see the beautiful collaboration between a young architect and a master craftsman who created a Kentucky treasure that’s stood for nearly 200 years.

Visiting Historic State Capitol, Kentucky

You can visit Kentucky’s Old State Capitol at 100 W. Broadway in Frankfort Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Admission costs $8 for adults and $6 for youth, veterans, and active duty military, with kids 5 and under free. Your ticket includes access to all Kentucky Historical Society campus buildings.

Daily guided tours at 2:00 p.m. focus on the Greek Revival architecture created by young Gideon Shryock and craftsman Harry Mordecai’s detailed plasterwork.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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