Missouri Governor's Mansion
Encyclopedia
The Missouri Governor's Mansion is a historic U.S.
residence
in Jefferson City
, Missouri
. It is located at 100 Madison Street. On May 21, 1969, it was added to the U.S.
National Register of Historic Places
.
The current site on a bluff overlooking the Missouri River
was the vicinity of the first Jefferson City Missouri State Capitol
building from 1825 to 1837 after the capitol was relocated from St. Charles, Missouri to Jefferson City. The capitol burned in 1837 and was rebuilt at its current site a block to the west.
The current Neo-Renaissance
structure was built in 1871 at a cost of $75,000 and has served every governor since. It was renovated extensively during the administration of Governor Kit Bond
in the 1980s.
/St. Charles, Missouri area lived in their private homes and if the need arose they rented homes in St. Charles.
The first Jefferson City governor's mansion also doubled as the home for the Missouri General Assembly
, with the Missouri House of Representatives
meeting on the ground floor, the Missouri State Senate on the second floor and the governor living in two rooms.
The structure, which was 60 by 40 feet (12.2 m), was completed in November 1826 at a cost of $20,000. The building was designed by Stephen Hills
and was modeled on the first Pennsylvania State Capitol
in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
. Hill later designed Academic Hall
at the University of Missouri
(which are now the landmark columns on the Francis Quadrangle.
after being elected in 1832 refused to move his family to the building. Construction of a new $5,000 mansion began in the autumn of 1833 and was completed in 1834. It was at the end of the same block as the original mansion/capitol. It had dimensions of 48 by 30 feet (9.1 m) and a portico with four. The building survived the November 15, 1837 fire that destroyed the neighboring capitol when wet blankets were applied to the roof of the mansion.
The mansion suffered a fire in the 1840s during the administration of Thomas Reynolds
. Reynolds killed himself in the mansion in 1844. A sofa with pineapple-shaped legs belonging to Reynolds is now one of the oldest pieces of furniture in the current mansion.
Governor Robert Marcellus Stewart
initiated a campaign to build a new residence. Stewart rode a horse up the steps into the house and ordered a servant to feed it a peck
of oats. Stewart also pardoned all the women in the state prison and had them work in the mansion. The General Assembly allocated $20,000 for a new mansion but, the American Civil War
interrupted the plan.
assumed office in 1871 several people said they would not come to large gatherings at the mansion because they feared disaster. In March 1871 the Assembly allocated $50,000 for a new mansion. George Ingham Barnett
(whose work includes most of the buildings at the Missouri Botanical Garden
built for Henry Shaw) was the architect.
Major exterior features of the 66 in 6 in (20.27 m) square, three-story red brick building are the 13 feet (4 m) mansard roof
and four pink granite columns from Brown's quarry in Iron County, Missouri
.
The most striking interior feature is the Grand Stairway carved of walnut.
The first of the major renovations occurred in the 1890s under Governor David Rowland Francis; they included painting the bricks deep red to cover soot
stains.
The next major renovation occurred under Lloyd C. Stark
in which $55,000 which included replacing the columns supporting the Grand Stairway with steel brackets. The exterior was painted white and the Starks donated 3,000 plants from their nursery.
During Kit Bond's administration in the 1980s the mansion was renovated extensively in an attempt to restore it to an 1871 appearance including the addition of Renaissance Revival style of furniture and restoration of the pink brick exterior.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
residence
House
A house is a building or structure that has the ability to be occupied for dwelling by human beings or other creatures. The term house includes many kinds of different dwellings ranging from rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes to free standing individual structures...
in Jefferson City
Jefferson City, Missouri
Jefferson City is the capital of the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Cole County. Located in Callaway and Cole counties, it is the principal city of the Jefferson City metropolitan area, which encompasses the entirety of both counties. As of the 2010 census, the population was 43,079...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
. It is located at 100 Madison Street. On May 21, 1969, it was added to the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
The current site on a bluff overlooking the Missouri River
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
was the vicinity of the first Jefferson City Missouri State Capitol
Missouri State Capitol
The Missouri State Capitol is located in the U.S. state of Missouri. Housing the Missouri General Assembly, it is located in the state capital of Jefferson City at 201 West Capitol Avenue. The domed building was designed by the New York architectural firm of Tracy and Swartwout and completed in 1917...
building from 1825 to 1837 after the capitol was relocated from St. Charles, Missouri to Jefferson City. The capitol burned in 1837 and was rebuilt at its current site a block to the west.
The current Neo-Renaissance
Neo-Renaissance
Renaissance Revival is an all-encompassing designation that covers many 19th century architectural revival styles which were neither Grecian nor Gothic but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range of classicizing Italian modes...
structure was built in 1871 at a cost of $75,000 and has served every governor since. It was renovated extensively during the administration of Governor Kit Bond
Kit Bond
Christopher Samuel "Kit" Bond is a former United States Senator from Missouri and a member of the Republican Party. First elected to the U.S. Senate in 1986, he defeated Democrat Harriett Woods by a margin of 53%-47%. He was re-elected in 1992, 1998, and 2004...
in the 1980s.
First mansion
Prior to the relocation of the state capital to Jefferson City, the first governors who were from the St. Louis, MissouriSt. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
/St. Charles, Missouri area lived in their private homes and if the need arose they rented homes in St. Charles.
The first Jefferson City governor's mansion also doubled as the home for the Missouri General Assembly
Missouri General Assembly
The Missouri General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Missouri. The bicameral General Assembly is composed of a 34-member Senate, and a 163-member House of Representatives. Members of both houses of the General Assembly are subject to term limits...
, with the Missouri House of Representatives
Missouri House of Representatives
The Missouri House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 163 members, representing districts with an average size of 31,000 residents. House members are elected for two-year terms during general elections held in even-numbered years.In 1992 Missouri...
meeting on the ground floor, the Missouri State Senate on the second floor and the governor living in two rooms.
The structure, which was 60 by 40 feet (12.2 m), was completed in November 1826 at a cost of $20,000. The building was designed by Stephen Hills
Stephen Hills
Stephen Hills was an architect notable for designing the original Pennsylvania State Capitol.- Early life :...
and was modeled on the first Pennsylvania State Capitol
Pennsylvania State Capitol
The Pennsylvania State Capitol is the seat of government for the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and is in downtown Harrisburg. It was designed in 1902 in a Beaux-Arts style with Renaissance themes throughout...
in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 49,528, making it the ninth largest city in Pennsylvania...
. Hill later designed Academic Hall
Academic Hall
Academic Hall was the original main building of the University of Missouri. It was dedicated in 1843 and destroyed by fire in 1892. Academic Hall's six Ionic columns stand as the most recognizable symbol of the University of Missouri.- History :...
at the University of Missouri
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
(which are now the landmark columns on the Francis Quadrangle.
Second mansion
Missouri's second governor Daniel DunklinDaniel Dunklin
Daniel Dunklin was the fifth Governor of Missouri from 1832 to 1836. He was born in 1790 in Greenville, South Carolina, and died in 1844 near Herculaneum, Missouri, where he is buried. His grave is a state historic site and interprets Dunklin's role as the Father of Public Schools, as well as...
after being elected in 1832 refused to move his family to the building. Construction of a new $5,000 mansion began in the autumn of 1833 and was completed in 1834. It was at the end of the same block as the original mansion/capitol. It had dimensions of 48 by 30 feet (9.1 m) and a portico with four. The building survived the November 15, 1837 fire that destroyed the neighboring capitol when wet blankets were applied to the roof of the mansion.
The mansion suffered a fire in the 1840s during the administration of Thomas Reynolds
Thomas Reynolds (Governor)
Thomas Reynolds was the seventh Governor of Missouri from 1840 to 1844. He belonged to the Democratic Party....
. Reynolds killed himself in the mansion in 1844. A sofa with pineapple-shaped legs belonging to Reynolds is now one of the oldest pieces of furniture in the current mansion.
Governor Robert Marcellus Stewart
Robert Marcellus Stewart
Robert Marcellus Stewart was the 14th Governor of Missouri from 1857 to 1861, during the critical years just prior to the American Civil War.-Early years:...
initiated a campaign to build a new residence. Stewart rode a horse up the steps into the house and ordered a servant to feed it a peck
Peck
A peck is an imperial and U.S. customary unit of dry volume, equivalent to 2 gallons or 8 dry quarts or 16 dry pints. Two pecks make a kenning , and four pecks make a bushel....
of oats. Stewart also pardoned all the women in the state prison and had them work in the mansion. The General Assembly allocated $20,000 for a new mansion but, the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
interrupted the plan.
Current mansion
After B. Gratz BrownB. Gratz Brown
Benjamin Gratz Brown was an American politician. He was a Senator, the 20th Governor of Missouri, and the Liberal Republican and Democratic Party Vice presidential candidate in the presidential election of 1872.-Early life:...
assumed office in 1871 several people said they would not come to large gatherings at the mansion because they feared disaster. In March 1871 the Assembly allocated $50,000 for a new mansion. George Ingham Barnett
George I. Barnett
George Ingham Barnett was an architect from St. Louis, Missouri. He was called The Dean of St. Louis Architecture for his contributions to the buildings of St. Louis as well as for his influence on other architects in the United States....
(whose work includes most of the buildings at the Missouri Botanical Garden
Missouri Botanical Garden
The Missouri Botanical Garden is a botanical garden located in St. Louis, Missouri. It is also known informally as Shaw's Garden for founder Henry Shaw, a botanist and philanthropist.-History:...
built for Henry Shaw) was the architect.
Major exterior features of the 66 in 6 in (20.27 m) square, three-story red brick building are the 13 feet (4 m) mansard roof
Mansard roof
A mansard or mansard roof is a four-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterized by two slopes on each of its sides with the lower slope at a steeper angle than the upper that is punctured by dormer windows. The roof creates an additional floor of habitable space, such as a garret...
and four pink granite columns from Brown's quarry in Iron County, Missouri
Iron County, Missouri
Iron County is a county located in the Lead Belt region in Southeast Missouri in the United States. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the county's population was 10,697. A 2008 estimate, however, showed the population to be 9,918. The largest city and county seat is Ironton...
.
The most striking interior feature is the Grand Stairway carved of walnut.
The first of the major renovations occurred in the 1890s under Governor David Rowland Francis; they included painting the bricks deep red to cover soot
Soot
Soot is a general term that refers to impure carbon particles resulting from the incomplete combustion of a hydrocarbon. It is more properly restricted to the product of the gas-phase combustion process but is commonly extended to include the residual pyrolyzed fuel particles such as cenospheres,...
stains.
The next major renovation occurred under Lloyd C. Stark
Lloyd C. Stark
Lloyd Crow Stark was the 39th Governor of the U.S. state of Missouri. He was a Democrat.Stark was born in Louisiana, Missouri. Stark is a 1908 graduate of the United States Naval Academy. After serving four years as a naval officer, Stark went into the family business, the Stark Brothers...
in which $55,000 which included replacing the columns supporting the Grand Stairway with steel brackets. The exterior was painted white and the Starks donated 3,000 plants from their nursery.
During Kit Bond's administration in the 1980s the mansion was renovated extensively in an attempt to restore it to an 1871 appearance including the addition of Renaissance Revival style of furniture and restoration of the pink brick exterior.