PBS Wisconsin Documentaries

It's a masterpiece of design and engineering. They wanted it to be a symbol of self-rule. A very high-minded, idealized notion of democracy. Designed by an American master. This was the crowning gem in his life's work. And filled with priceless artwork. It's Wisconsin's most valuable work of art. There's nothing like it. It's a state capitol that was created for all of us. I always think of it as the most public building in Wisconsin. It's always open 365 days out of the year. After a catastrophe ruined its predecessor. An hour after the fire starts, it's lighting up the sky. The Capitol would face its own disaster. There were actually parts of the mosaics that leaned forward. The whole thing was at risk of crumbling down. And it would take a massive 12-year effort to save the building. The restoration of this building was important because this is a masterpiece. This National Historic Landmark is one of the most admired capitols in the country. I'm going to discover its remarkable history, explore its grand spaces, and uncover a few of its hidden secrets. This is the story of

Our House

The Wisconsin Capitol The Wisconsin Capitol is funded in part by Ron and Colleen Weyers, Francis A. and Georgia F. Ariens Fund within the Brillion Area Family of Funds, the Conney Family, in loving memory of Mildred Conney, Edvest College Savings Plan, helping families save since 1997, the Eleanor and Thomas Wildrick Family, Roger and Lynn Van Vreede, American Transmission Company, National Guardian Life Insurance Company, and Friends of Wisconsin Public Television. The Wisconsin State Capitol was conceived just after the turn of the century in an era of American optimism. States were building ever more grand capitols to express their success, pride, and democratic ideals. If Europe's palaces were made for monarchs, America was building them for its people. When it came time for Wisconsin to build such a palace, it would be one for the ages. Since its completion in 1917, the Wisconsin Capitol has contained the state's four branches of government. Its symmetrical form creates a unique balance between the spaces of the Governor, Senate, Assembly, and Supreme Court. Everything is equal in that building. Every aspect of government is weighted equally. No one wing is more important than the other wing. This uniformity is made possible because the Capitol is arranged in a shape known as a St. Andrew's Cross. St. Andrew's Cross is essentially an X. Here at our capitol, it lines up with the points of the compass and also the streets that are coming towards the Capitol. It's the only capitol in the country laid out this way making it notoriously bewildering to navigate.

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Our House

It's a mirror this way at 90 degrees and it's a mirror at 180. So, it's inherently confusing and you can get entirely turned around and end up in a different place in the city than you intended.

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Our House

You can get very easily turned around. But that's not necessarily a bad thing. The Capitol's layout also creates many access points. And all of these entrances feed into a central circular area called the Rotunda. This is the Capitol's premier public space. The Rotunda is immense in scale. Natural light pours in from skylights in the wings and the dome's 19-foot tall cathedral windows. The space is intended to draw our eyes upward. Fitting for a building designed to inspire us. The Rotunda is a big part of why the Capitol attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. We call our Rotunda the "living room" for a reason. That's because it's always open 365 days out of the year. People can come in and get married here, we have blood drives here, we have school groups here. It is one of the most public features of the state of Wisconsin. The Capitol is and always was meant to be a public building. From the time it was built, it was referred to casually as, quote, "the people's house," which was a phrase that originated a hundred years earlier with the White House in the early 19th century. It fit the idea of how the building should be used. Even if you look at it architecturally, there are doors everywhere. It's meant to be an open public building. It brings people in. It invites people in. Accessibility is kind of its theme. The capitol was basically designed and placed within the cityscape to express the notion of accessibility. Many of our rooms can be reserved by people who get permits. Weddings can happen here. Retirement parties happen here. I've myself signed as a witness for at least two different marriage certificates, just from working here for two years. Even if the legislators are meeting, even if the governor is signing a bill, it's still open to everyone.

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Our House

The people's house seems perfectly placed in the heart of Madison. But the Capitol and the city would not exist except for one man. Frontier judge and land speculator James Duane Doty traveled to this area in the spring of 1836. To him, it was wild and unsettled. But he envisioned a city here and drafted a plat, or map, of its layout. Wisconsin became a U.S. territory that summer, and a convention was called to form a constitution. One important order of business was choosing a capital city among the twenty sites proposed. Doty, one of the delegates, had a plan. Doty presented his map to fellow delegates, promising them lots in exchange for votes. When it came time to vote for a site to be the capital, 16 of the 39 men owned property in Madison, a city that didn't even exist. And that was enough to tip the scales and Madison was chosen. Now whether that should be called bribery or just good politicking is for the beholder to decide. Madison's first capitol building was constructed on the square Doty had earmarked. By the time Wisconsin achieved statehood in 1848, this cold and leaky capitol had earned the uncomplimentary nickname "Doty's washbowl". Its replacement was completed in 1869. Over the next four decades, the second state capitol would receive numerous expansions and updates, especially to its fire prevention technology. By the turn of the century, the second Madison capitol was considered to be a state of the art fireproof building. But in the early morning of February 27, 1904, a newly-varnished ceiling caught fire and the system catastrophically failed. An hour after the fire starts, it's lighting up the sky in Madison and people are streaming out of their houses to come try to help. By the time the fire was out, the Wisconsin Capitol was in ruins. No had died, but it was a devastating loss for the state. Governor Robert "Fighting Bob" La Follette would cheerlessly write to a friend, "I have no doubt the citizens of Wisconsin will insist on having an entirely new building put up in its stead. Nevertheless, I shall regret to see it go." At this point in the early 20th century, Wisconsin had a high self-esteem and booming economy. It's right at the height of the Gilded Age. Wisconsin has become a tremendous success, and they wanted this capitol to be a symbol of that success. And other states, like Minnesota, were building grandiose new capitols. Wisconsin was not going to be left behind in the design of the building that it was going to have to mark its place as one of the premier state capitols in the country. The stage was set for Wisconsin to make its own statement. A committee appointed by Governor La Follette, called the Capitol Commission, would oversee this ambitious endeavor. The Capitol Commission requested proposals from architectural firms all across the country. They wanted a grand and monumental building. And they would find the perfect architect to achieve that vision in George Post. By the turn of the century, George Browne Post of New York was a leading figure in American architecture. He was known in Manhattan for designing and having built really tall office buildings using structural steel. So, he was considered very much an innovator in that regard and sometimes referred to as the father of the later skyscraper. Post had recently completed the New York Stock Exchange and, in his late sixties, was actively seeking a large public project to seal his legacy. He always wanted to build a capitol, and this was it. This was the crowning gem in his life's work. But building it would be a challenge. The Capitol's huge cost of over $7 million, would have to be spread out over a decade. And there was another significant obstacle. They didn't start with a blank slate like many capitols do. They were constructing this capitol while they were taking down the old capitol that had burned. To spread out costs, and also keep government running in the old capitol's salvaged wings, the construction project would proceed in five stages over 11 years. It got underway in 1906. And overseeing this massive endeavor was Madison architect Lew Porter. His assignment was as monumental as the building itself. If you've ever remodeled your house and put in a bathroom or built a house from scratch you know what goes into starting with paper plans and watching a 3-dimensional building rise from them. Multiply that a thousand-fold and you have Lew Porter's job. 125 separate jobs had been identified-- plumbing, electricity, painting, whatever. And on any given day, 30 to 40 of those contractors were at work on the site. With Post usually in New York, making sure every detail was done exactly as specified fell to Porter. He insisted that artisans, craftsmen, plumbers, joiners, carpenters all live up to the very exacting standard Post had pretty much demanded for the building. One day he noticed that a railing in one of the stairways of the Capitol as it was being built seemed a little odd. And he looked at the specs, it called for the railing to be solid brass. He got out a hacksaw and he tore into it and in fact it was only brass plated. And, of course, he had it dismantled and sent back to the vendor and it was replaced with a solid brass one. Post carefully selected materials that would maximize beauty and visual appeal. Marble, granite, and limestone, quarried from dozens of sites around the world, were used to create a spectacular display of color and patterns. And each major chamber was distinguished by marble and granite found nowhere else in the Capitol, to ensure each of these spaces would have a character all its own. For the exterior, Post wanted marble, but the cost was simply too high. So, Post, Lew Porter, and the Capitol Commission toured a number of quarries out east. They chose a stone quarried in Vermont called White Bethel granite. This granite covers the entire exterior of the building. Even the four statuary groups at the base of the dome are sculpted from it. As sections of the Capitol were built, they were put to use. When the west wing was finished in 1909, the legislature began meeting there. In 1915, two years before the Capitol was completed, guides began giving tours to the public. It's a tradition that has continued for over a century. You know what? That would be a really good question to ask our tour guide later, is, "How much stone it was?" Wow! How did it get up there? Big ladders. Welcome to the Wisconsin State Capitol. My name is Jason, and we're going to take the stairs. You can follow me up this way. The title of that painting is "The Resources of Wisconsin." In the center, there is a lady with red hair. What's her name? Wisconsin. - Wisconsin! She represents our state. Well, I really like sharing the stories. So, I used to do theater back in high school, and I also am a historian by trade. Being able to share the history and being able to share that information with people in a story format is my favorite thing. If they try to speak over their thirty minutes, the justices will interrupt and say, "Excuse me!

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Our House

Your time is over. Please sit down!" Thirty minutes to change the laws of the state. Each year, 50,000 students from schools around the state make a field trip to the Capitol. This is my students' favorite thing to do each year. I think that the information that's given on the tours here is excellent. The first electronic voting system installed in this room was the original electronic voting system in the world. It was here in Wisconsin before anywhere else. A Capitol tour is packed with state history and interesting facts, but it's often the little details that are most memorable. We have a fossilized starfish in the staircase. No matter how many tours I give, that's always the most memorable piece that people come back for. But besides the fossil, I would say also the ghost in the Assembly. Now when this painting was finished by Mr. Edwin Blashfield we said it's very beautiful, we really like it, but it's just not Wisconsin enough. So, we made him go back and add one animal to make it more Wisconsin. What animal did he add? Badger. - The badger. So over here on the right side he added this badger to the rock. But, of course, when you add something to a painting you have to paint over top of something else. And what he removed was a fourth Civil War soldier. That soldier did not like the decision and so he came back as a ghost to haunt us. Do you wanna see the ghost? - Yeah! Hat, ear, and shoulder. And that's the ghost of the Assembly. But he's a friendly ghost. This should be a priority for all kids to visit, to see how our state government runs and how we should be so proud of this capitol that was built for us. >> MY. I'M JON MISKOWSKI, DIRECTOR OF WISCONSIN PUBLIC TELEVISION AND WE'RE WATCHING "OUR HOUSE" AND OUR HOST IS MICHAEL BRIDGEMAN. THIS IS A WONDERFUL PROGRAM. STAY WITH US. WE'D LIKE TO INVITE YOU TO SUPPORT WISCONSIN PUBLIC TELEVISION AND THE PROGRAMS ON WISCONSIN PUBLIC TELEVISION. WITH A GIFT OF $8 A MONTH, WE HAVE THE DVD OF "OUR HOUSE." MICHAEL, TELL US ABOUT THE PROGRAM. >> WELL, YOU'VE SEEN THE FIRST PART OF THE PROGRAM. ONE OF THE THINGS WE KNEW WE HAD TO DO WAS SHOW KIDS IN THE CAPITOL. SO MANY SCHOOL CHILDREN COME TO THE CAPITOL EVERY YEAR AND THEY ALL JUST LOVE IT. THEY LOVE THE ROTUNDA. THEY FLY ON THE FLOOR. AND THEY LOVE LOOKING UP AT THE DOME. IT'S JUST WONDERFUL TO WATCH THE KIDS WHEN THEY'RE THERE BECAUSE THEY STILL HAVE A SENSE OF WONDER ABOUT THIS STUFF. SOME OF OUR ADULTS ARE A LITTLE MORE JADED OR USED TO IT. AS OFTEN AS I'VE BEEN IN THE CAPITOL WORKING ON THIS PROGRAM, I STILL SAW NEW THINGS TO SEE ABOUT IT. >> THE WONDERFUL THING ABOUT THIS PROGRAM IS THAT BUILDING IS REALLY HARD TO TAKE FOR GRANTED, MAYBE SOMETIMES WE GET CLOSE TO TAKING IT FOR GRANTED, THE WORKMANSHIP, DESIGN THAT'S EXPRESSED IN THIS PROGRAM. YOU'LL NEVER TAKE IT FOR GRANTED AGAIN. THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO CALL AND SUPPORT WISCONSIN PUBLIC TELEVISION WITH YOUR PLEDGE TO 1-800-236-3636. >> MY. I'M STEPHANIE ELKINS. I AM ONE OF THE MUSIC HOSTS ON WISCONSIN PUBLIC RADIO AND A VOLUNTEER HERE FOR WISCONSIN PUBLIC TELEVISION. WHAT A GORGEOUS, GORGEOUS PROGRAM, ANOTHER BEAUTY FROM WISCONSIN PUBLIC TELEVISION. KUDOS TO THE PRODUCTION TEAM AS USUAL. WE HAVE GOT A FANTASTIC GIFT FOR YOU. WE'VE GOT, FOR A PLEDGE OF $8 A MONTH OR MORE, THE DVD OF WHAT YOU'RE SEEING THIS EVENING, WHICH IS NOT ONLY THE DVD OF WHAT YOU'RE SEEING THIS EVENING, BUT WE ALSO HAVE AN ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTARY THAT WAS MADE IN 1999 ABOUT THE RESTORATION OF THE CAPITOL. SO YOU GET A DOUBLE DVD. THAT'S FOR YOUR PLEDGE OF $8 A MONTH OR MORE. AND FOR A PLEDGE OF $10 A MONTH, WE'LL SEND YOU A BOOK CALLED "THE WISCONSIN CAPITOL." IT COMES TO YOU FROM THE WISCONSIN HISTORICAL SOCIETY PRESS. FOR $13 A MONTH OR MORE WE'LL SEND YOU BOTH THE DVD AND THE BOOK. WE WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU DURING THIS WONDERFUL PROGRAM ABOUT OUR CAPITOL. WE'RE CELEBRATING THE CENTENNIAL OF PUBLIC BROADCASTING, THE CENTENNIAL OF THE CAPITOL. WHAT A GREAT WAY TO CELEBRATE RIGHT NOW AT 1-800-236-3636. >> AND I'M AGAIN MICHAEL BRIDGEMAN, THE HOST OF THIS PROGRAM, WHICH I HAD A GREAT TIME WORKING ON THIS PROGRAM, BECAUSE IT WAS A CHANCE TO SEE THE CAPITOL IN DIFFERENT WAYS. I ESPECIALLY LIKED SOME OF THE BEHIND-THE-SCENES STUFF THAT WE SAW BEHIND THE SKYLIGHTS AND SO ON. BECAUSE MOST PEOPLE DON'T SEE THAT. YOU'LL SEE IT AS PART OF THE PROGRAM TONIGHT. I'M GLAD I'VE BEEN A PART OF MAKING IT POSSIBLE FOR YOU TO SEE THAT. I'M GRATEFUL FOR ALL THE SUPPORTERS OF WISCONSIN PUBLIC TELEVISION WHO MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR THIS ORGANIZATION TO DO PROGRAMS ABOUT OUR STATE LIKE "OUR HOUSE." NO ONE ELSE IS GOING TO DO THIS KIND OF STUFF AND NO ONE ELSE IS GOING TO DO IT NEARLY AS WELL. I HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH TAKING ALL THE FABULOUS VIDEO YOU'RE SEEING. MOST ARE PEOPLE MUCH MORE SKILLED THAN I. BUT THEY'VE DONE A TERRIFIC JOB. AND IT BRINGS OUT THE BEAUTY OF THE BUILDING IN A WONDERFUL WAY. SO I THINK IT'S WELL WORTH YOUR SUPPORT, FRANKLY. AND I KNOW YOU CAN SHOW YOUR SUPPORT BY CALLING RIGHT NOW AT 1-800-236-3636. >> THANKS, MICHAEL. AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR CALLS. THE ONE ASPECT OF THIS PROGRAM THAT YOU'RE NOT SEEING TONIGHT IS AN EDUCATIONAL COMPONENT THAT WILL BE AVAILABLE TO WISCONSIN SCHOOLS. WE WANT TO THANK JIM FROM EDVEST FOR JOING US. WE HAVE COMMON CAUSE IN OUR ASPIRATIONS FOR EDUCATING THE STATE. >> I'D LIKE TO THANK WPT FOR HAVING US HERE AGAIN THIS YEAR. WE ARE VERY HAPPY TO PARTNER WITH WISCONSIN PUBLIC TELEVISION AND YOUR PROGRAMMING FOR KIDS. >> YEAH. WE REALLY APPRECIATE THAT. WHEN I THINK ABOUT SAVING FOR MY BOYS, I WAS INSPIRED BY MY SISTER, A LITTLE YOUNGER THAN ME AND HER CHILDREN WERE YOUNGER THEN, BUT THAT WAS A LONG TIME AGO. SO WHAT DO PEOPLE THINK ABOUT INVESTING? WHEN TO DO IT. >> THE IMPORTANT THING HERE, JON, YOU CAN START EARLY OR LATER. EVEN IF THEY'RE IN MIDDLE SCHOOL OR HIGH SCHOOL YOU MIGHT AS WELL START. FOR EVERY DOLLAR THAT YOU SAVE BEFORE COLLEGE, PROBABLY TRANSLATES INTO $2 YOU WOULD HAVE TO PAY BACK LATER ON WITH LOANS AND INTEREST AND TIME AND THAT SORT OF THING. ANYTHING HELPS AT THE BEGINNING. >> WE KNOW ABOUT THE CHALLENGE OF STUDENT DEBT. YOU GUYS ARE WORKING ON THAT WITH PARENTS ACROSS THE STATE. THANK YOU FOR SUPPORT OF THIS PROGRAM. AND THANK YOU FOR CALLING WITH YOUR PLEDGE TO 1-800-236-3636. >> WE'RE GOING TO BE GOING BACK TO THE PROGRAM IN JUST A FEW MINUTES BUT RIGHT NOW WE'RE ASKING FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF THIS ORIGINAL KIND OF PROGRAM. THE CINEMATOGRAPHY IS GORGEOUS. EVERYTHING ABOUT IT IS TOPNOTCH AND HIGH-QUALITY. WE HAVE THE DVD OF THE PROGRAM THAT YOU'RE WATCHING AND IN ADDITION TO THAT IT'S CALLED "OUR

HOUSE

THE WISCONSIN CAPITOL" AN ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTARY MADE BY WPT A FEW YEARS AGO ABOUT THE RESTORATION OF THE CAPITOL. YOU'LL GET BOTH OF THOSE FOR YOUR PLEDGE OF $8 A MONTH OR MORE. FOR A PLEDGE OF $10 A MONTH, WE HAVE THE WISCONSIN CAPITOL BY THE WISCONSIN HISTORICAL SOCIETY PRESS. IT'S GOT WONDERFUL HISTORY OF THE CAPITOL, LOTS OF PHOTOS. FOR A PLEDGE OF $13 A MONTH OR MORE, WE'LL SEND YOU BOTH THE DVD OF THE DOCUMENTARIES PLUS THE BOOK. AND WHAT A LEGACY THESE ARE. OUR CAPITOL IS A LEGACY. IT'S A JEWEL AMONG ALL CAPITOLS. AND TO SHARE THIS WITH YOUR FRIENDS AND YOUR FAMILY WOULD BE JUST TERRIFIC. SO GIVE US A CALL AT 1-800-236-3636. >> WE CHOSE TO DO THE PROGRAM ABOUT THE CAPITOL THIS YEAR BECAUSE IT'S THE CENTENNIAL. 100 YEARS AGO IS WHEN THIS CAPITOL WAS FINISHED, COMPLETED. AND IT'S ALSO, INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, 100 YEARS AGO THAT PUBLIC BROADCASTING GOT ITS START WITH THE INITIAL RADIO BROADCAST HERE IN WISCONSIN. AND SO WHAT WE SEE TODAY ON WISCONSIN PUBLIC TELEVISION GOES BACK TO THAT PERIOD IN A WAY. AND WE'RE VERY GRATEFUL FOR THAT. BUT THE CAPITOL IS A VERY SPECIAL PLACE. I THINK WE'VE CAPTURED THAT IN THIS PROGRAM. I HOPE YOU AGREE AND THAT YOU APPRECIATE THAT AND RECOGNIZE THAT YOUR SUPPORT MAKES THIS POSSIBLE. SO CALL, PLEASE, 1-800-236-3636. >> IT'S GREAT TO HEAR THE PHONES RING AND I'M HERE WITH JESS AND JIM FROM EDVEST, SUPPORTERS OF THIS PROJECT. I'VE NEVER HEARD ANYBODY REGRET GIVING TO PUBLIC TELEVISION. I HAVEN'T HEARD THAT YET. I SUPPOSE IT'S THE SAME WAY. IN OUR OWN FAMILY STARTING OUR SAVINGS ACCOUNT FOR OUR CHILDREN, WE DIDN'T REGRET IT. SO STARTING IT IS A REALLY GOOD IDEA. YOU HAVE SOME IDEAS FOR PEOPLE TO GET STARTED. >> YEAH. STARTING EARLY WITH EDVEST IS ONE OF THE BEST THINGS THAT YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR FAMILY AND YOUR STUDENTS. IT'S REALLY SIMPLE. IT'S EASY TO OPEN UP AN ACCOUNT. IT'S ABOUT $15 ONLINE AT EDVEST.COM. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS START AN ACCOUNT WITH $25 OR LESS. IT MAKES AN EXCELLENT GIFT WITH BIRTHDAYS, HOLIDAYS, ALL DIFFERENT KINDS OF CELEBRATIONS. IT TAKES ABOUT TEN MINUTES WITH YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER OF THE CHILD. IT'S WISCONSIN'S COLLEGE SAVINGS PROGRAM. IT'S BEST IF YOU CAN START EARLY. THERE'S NO TIME TO WASTE WHEN YOU'RE TRYING TO BUILD UP A NEST EGG FOR STUDENTS. ABOUT 87% OF WISCONSIN FAMILIES REALLY APPRECIATE GIVING THE GIFT OF COLLEGE. SO RIGHT NOW WE CAN JUST ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO TAKE THE TIME TO GIVE US A CALL. WE HAVE OUR EDVEST COLLEGE SAVINGS SPECIALIST AT EDVEST.COM ALL SET UP AND READY TO GO. >> GREAT. WE'RE GOING TO GO BACK TO THE PROGRAM NOW. APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE AND YOUR SUPPORT OF THIS WONDERFUL PROGRAM. WE'RE GOING BACK TO "OUR HOUSE" AND CELEBRATE THIS CENTENNIAL OF OUR CAPITOL. For citizens young and old, the Wisconsin Capitol was designed to instill a sense of awe and importance. Public buildings constructed at this time in America followed grandiose classical examples from Greece, Rome, and the Renaissance. Why did this lavish classical style become the norm for government buildings? A clue can be found here at the western approach to the Capitol. It's a statue called "Forward," and it's from the Columbian Exposition in 1893. Now, that might seem unrelated to our Capitol. But actually, it has everything to do with it. The Chicago World's Fair of 1893, also known as the Columbian Exposition, featured a temporary metropolis conceived by America's top artists and architects, including George Post. You have a gathering of major architects who are coming together to create what was known as the White City, the classical core of the Columbian Exposition. So, they're using architecture based on classical elements. The columns and the pediments, and the classical orders, and the types of decorations, all of those elements that you see in a classical building. The Chicago World's Fair would transform this approach to designing public buildings into a national movement. It's almost as if there is a standard vocabulary that has been set for these architects of things that people are expecting to see in a state capitol. George Post would bring the Columbian Exposition's architectural sensibilities to Madison. He would also bring its artists. The creators of the Capitol wanted it to serve, in part, as an art museum. A place where people could come see beautiful art and architecture and be uplifted by it. For the Capitol's most prominent work, Post turned to renowned American sculptor Daniel Chester French. Most people know him for the sculpture of Abraham Lincoln in the Lincoln Memorial. He was a major, major figure in the art world at the period. French's sculpture "Wisconsin" symbolizes the state motto "Forward," a name she is often mistakenly called. Wisconsin stands over 15 feet tall and weighs more than three tons. In 1914, she was hoisted on top of the Capitol dome, which was a public spectacle. Wisconsin was placed with such fanfare, I mean there literally was a parade. There were speeches and celebration and it was quite a big deal. One of the most remarkable works of art in the Capitol is here in the highest visible point called the oculus. It was painted by one of America's most highly-regarded muralists, Edwin Blashfield. And it's a powerful demonstration of his mastery of scale. I think that one was difficult because you had to understand that it was going to be 200 feet away from you when everybody reads it. The mural is called "The Resources of Wisconsin." Blashfield created it in New York City in a studio big enough to hold the painting. It was done on five sections of overlapping canvas because the painting would be glued to onto a concave bowl to give it an illusion of depth. The canvases were attached to this surface like wallpaper and pieced together like a puzzle. The state of Wisconsin is represented as a woman, a motif repeated throughout the building. Blashfield's mural reflects a major theme in the Capitol's art-- the rich bounty of the state. Like the artwork of a Roman basilica or European cathedral, the art at the Capitol has a story to tell about the people who made the building and what they thought about their state and its government. The artists were attempting to convey, on Post's direction, clearly, and probably that of the Capitol Commission as well, a very high-minded, idealized notion of democracy. The themes of the artwork are sort of the grand themes of liberty, justice, government, democracy, abundance. Most of the Capitol's works of art were made by men. But there are three striking exceptions. This statue, called "The West," has been here since the Capitol's beginning. It was sculpted by an artistic prodigy from Madison named Vinnie Ream Hoxie. She created it at a time when her fame was at its peak. At age 17, Vinnie Ream Hoxie became the first and only sculptor for whom Abraham Lincoln ever posed. When she received a Congressional art commission the following year, Ream Hoxie was the first woman and youngest person ever to win such an award. In a similar entryway nearby stands "The Genius of Wisconsin." Oshkosh native Helen Farnsworth Mears designed it when she was a 21-year-old artist-in-residence at the Columbian Exposition. "Forward" was also sculpted for the Columbian Exposition by Jean Pond Miner from Menasha. Miner symbolized the state with a female figure on the prow of a ship clasping the American flag to her hip. The combination of world-class art, monumental classical architecture, and exquisite materials came together perfectly in the Wisconsin Capitol. By its official completion in 1917, the state had a building that reflected its confidence and optimism. But this Capitol never had a grand opening. It took eleven years to build the building and really no expense was spared so you'd think that when the work finished in the summer of 1917 there'd of been a grand celebration. But nothing of the sort happened. And the reason for that was that in April of 1917, the U.S. entered World War I and no one thought that this was the time for a big party about how much money we'd just spent on a capitol. In the years to come, as occupants came and went and the needs of the building changed, the Capitol fell into decline. Respect for the building and its inherent grandiose-ness just sort of diminished as people became used to working in the space. There was carpeting over marble floors. There were eight coats of paint on some of the walls. There was a time when everything was lemon yellow or sun yellow, or everything was lime green. Between 1920 and 1980, the Capitol as it had been envisioned was nearly destroyed. In 1965, matters came to a head when First Lady Dorothy Knowles, who was a professional interior decorator, suggested that the Governor's conference room ought to be painted white in order to brighten it up. And that made the legislature think, "Well, who has the right to do things like this to our Capitol?" By the 1980s, systems like electrical, air handling, and communication were in serious need of update. In 1987, it was determined that a wholesale restoration of the building was needed and a commission was formed. The state would commit over a hundred million dollars to the eleven-year project. And it would begin in the basement. My shop, the electrical shop is in the south basement. And did that change a lot with the restoration? The whole basement area? Yes. The basement areas when I started were like your classic cobweb kind of basement. When I started there, you'd bump your head a lot. Clearance was probably about four and a half to five feet. The basement was given two additional feet of headroom, systems upgrades, and new office space. The project would proceed section by section throughout the entire building. This is tube lights that are above the Supreme Court chambers. The light is picked up the entire length of the tube. They also put, like, a dropped ceiling diffuser plastic pieces so that the light in the chamber is nice and even. When I started, there were fluorescent strip lights, like shop lights, about three feet off of this glass. And so, for us to change it, we had to put boards down across the top of the stained glass and just hope you didn't put your foot through the historic antique glass. At times, the restoration team had to play detective, scouring through old photographs to uncover the building's original decorative finishes that had been painted over. We did a lot of research. Postcards, pictures of the eras. You know, pictures of the governors to see what was on the wall behind them. And paint was removed a layer at a time to uncover detailed stencil work, like in the public gallery of the Senate chamber. These walls were painted. Just a solid color? They were painted a solid color when we came in. Some areas of the building, the layers of paint were eight and nine layers thick. I believe there were about four layers of paint in this particular area. And we went through layer by layer. We found that gold leaf was on there. We could actually see the gold, but it was in very poor shape. Now you have detailed architectural drawings, but when it comes to decoration you don't have those kinds of sources? No. That kind of document we don't have. Sounds like the only way to rediscover it was to do what you did, go through layer by layer. Go through layer by layer. Surfaces like this one were meticulously brought back to their original colors and pattern. Beautiful stencil work was also applied to other surfaces throughout the Capitol. Artwork was also carefully restored. But in the Rotunda, just getting to it posed a challenge. A massive 200-foot-tall scaffold was built to give the restoration team a rare close-up of the building's most precious art. And in the case of its four mosaics, what they discovered was alarming. The whole thing was at risk of crumbling down. The mosaics were designed by another Columbian Exposition artist, Kenyon Cox. They each consist of about a hundred thousand pieces of glass glued onto a canvas, which was then attached to the walls of the Rotunda. But over the decades, a problem developed. The canvas on which the glass was adhered was beginning to delaminate from the wall. There were actually parts of the mosaics that leaned forward, because they are not only concave, but they lean towards the Rotunda. The restoration team looked to experts around the world for help with this unique problem. In the end, the solution was a permanent one-- using a powerful glue. We were able to inject at the seam lines an adhesive material, push it back, hold it in place until the adhesive took hold. And then all was left was cleaning. The state's commitment to the Capitol resulted in a 21st century office building that shined as brightly as it had in 1917. Architect George Post did not live to see the building's completion. He died four years earlier, in 1913, at age 75. But he didn't have to see the final result to know what he had created. So, this is the sketch that Post drew. This was done years before the different sections of the construction project happened. It's just unbelievable how he could visualize all this and sketch it out, and come so close to what was the actual finished product. Yes, the conception is-- what we see is very nearly what we get. Absolutely, absolutely. But one thing Post never specified before he died was which side should be considered the Capitol's front. The building's perfectly uniform shape doesn't yield an obvious answer. And when it came time to place Wisconsin on top of the dome, building supervisor Lew Porter wondered which direction she should face. So, he wrote Post's son, James Otis. James Otis Post indicated that, he wrote rather personally, father always felt the building should face Lake Monona. So, Wisconsin was situated to point in that direction. And the Blashfield mural as well, the base of it goes in that direction. So, that also informs, "What is the orientation of the building?" which is really lost pretty much to everybody unless you know the story....to hear some great music. But also to commemorate the 100th anniversary of this beautiful capitol building that we are all looking upon right now. On a warm July evening in 2017, the community gathered on the grounds of the Capitol to hear the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra. It's part of a weekly summer concert series, but this night was special. It was a celebration of the building's 100th anniversary. Some of the restoration team were on hand. This is kind of a reunion at this location of the crew that did the work. You know, the two thousand of us or so that contributed to the effort. We did an incredibly thorough, authentic, well-documented process of restoration. If you're a citizen of Wisconsin I think you should just be impressed of how wonderful it looks. The restoration of this building was important because this is a masterpiece. It was a complete masterpiece designed by a master of the style. This is one of a kind and there's no reason it can't last for another hundred years if given proper care. So, yeah, love it. Love it to death.

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HOUSE

This is the seat of our government. The symbol of our state. It tells our story. And we come to this place for many reasons-- as a community, as visitors, as citizens. But even through our most passionate disagreements, we share this great capitol. This is our legacy. This is our house. It has a vitality that few buildings really do. The building asks us as citizens of the state to be our best and to make a solid contribution to our state, however we best can. There is no other place like it. It's just that special feeling you get when you're in it. This is a building for the ages that has come to us from people who thought highly of the state and its government and its institutions and wanted to create this monument to the state of Wisconsin. And those ideals are still relevant today. >> HI. I'M JON MISKOWSKI, DIRECTOR OF WISCONSIN PUBLIC TELEVISION. I'M HERE WITH MICHAEL BRIDGEMAN. THIS BIRTHDAY CARD TO "OUR HOUSE" WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO CALL RIGHT NOW AND PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT. WITH A GIFT OF $8 A MONTH WE'LL BE HAPPY TO SEND YOU A DVD. WITH A GIFT OF $13 A MONTH, WE HAVE THE DVD COMPANION TO THIS BRAND NEW BOOK FROM THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY. AND RIGHT NOW IF YOU CALL IS A CHALLENGE BREAK, SO UP TO $2,000 IS AVAILABLE TO CHALLENGE NEW MEMBERS TO CONTRIBUTE TO WISCONSIN PUBLIC TELEVISION. SO WE'RE HOPING FOR 50 CALLS IN THESE FEW MINUTES TO CELEBRATE THE WORK THAT WE DO ALONG WITH THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY IN CELEBRATING AND REMEMBERING AND CELEBRATING THE STORIES OF WISCONSIN. MIKE, YOU WANT TO TELL FOLKS ABOUT THE PROGRAM? >> WELL, THEY'VE SEEN THE PROGRAM, AND SEEING IT AGAIN IT'S REALLY A BEAUTIFUL BUILDING. WHAT IT REMINDS ME IS WHEN THE BUILDING WAS BUILT, THEY USED -- THEY WERE VERY CAREFUL ABOUT PLANNING IT, ABOUT BUILDING IT AND THEY USED THE BEST PEOPLE THEY COULD GET TO MAKE IT THE FINE BUILDING THAT IT IS. IT'S REALLY A TESTAMENT TO THE DEVOTION THESE PEOPLE HAD. >> I THINK THAT'S ONE THING WE SAID. THAT'S A BUILDING THAT YOU REALLY CAN'T TAKE FOR GRANTED, BUT IF YOU EVER DO, THIS PROGRAM IS A GREAT REINTRODUCTION TO THE BEAUTY AND THE CRAFTSMANSHIP AND THE HEART OF THIS WONDERFUL BUILDING. THE PHONE NUMBER TO CALL IS 1-800-236-3636. >> THANKS, MICHAEL. >> HI. I'M STEPHANIE ELKINS, ONE OF THE MUSIC HOSTS ON WISCONSIN PUBLIC RADIO. AND, WOW, THIS JUST MADE ME FEEL SO PROUD AND SO JUST GRATEFUL FOR THE LEGACY OF THOSE WHO WENT BEFORE US WHO INVESTED IN THIS BEAUTIFUL BUILDING, OUR HOUSE, OUR CAPITOL. WE'RE CELEBRATING THE CENTENNIAL OF THE CAPITOL AND THE SEVENTEEN TEN SELLCENTENNIAL OF PUBLIC BROADCASTING. WE'RE ASKING YOU TO CELEBRATE WITH US BY MAKING YOUR GIFT TO WISCONSIN PUBLIC TELEVISION. THIS IS A CHALLENGE BREAK, WHICH MEANS THAT WE HAVE A POT OF MONEY FROM EXISTING MEMBERS WHO WOULD LIKE TO ENCOURAGE YOU TO BECOME A NEW MEMBER OF WISCONSIN PUBLIC TELEVISION. AND WHEN YOU DO THAT AT THE LEVEL OF $8 A MONTH, WE'LL SEND YOU THE PROGRAM DVD YOU HAVE JUST SEEN. NOT ONLY DOES IT HAVE OUR HOUSE, BUT IT HAS A SECOND DOCUMENTARY AS WELL ABOUT THE RESTORATION THAT HAPPENED IN 1999, I BELIEVE. AND WE LITTLE ALSO HAVE A GIFT OF THE BOOK THAT JUST CAME OUT FROM THE WISCONSIN HISTORICAL SOCIETY CALLED "THE WISCONSIN CAPITOL." FOR A GIFT OF $13 WE'LL SEND YOU BOTH THE DVD AND THE BOOK. WE WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU DURING THIS 100TH ANNIVERSARY. 1-800-236-3636. >> HELLO AGAIN. STEPHANIE MENTIONED THE BOOK. THIS IS THE BOOK ABOUT THE WISCONSIN CAPITOL JUST PUBLISHED THIS YEAR BY THE WISCONSIN HISTORICAL SOCIETY. IT'S A FINE BOOK. IT'S REALLY GREAT. AS WONDERFUL AS THE TV PROGRAM IS, IT'S A TV PROGRAM, SO IT'S REALLY ABOUT BEAUTIFUL IMAGES A NDAND SO ON. YOU CAN'T SAY ALL THAT MUCH IN THE TV SHOW, SO THIS IS A CHANCE TO GET DEEPER WITH THIS BOOK CALLED "THE WISCONSIN CAPITOL," STORIES ABOUT THE BUILDING, RESTORATION AND PEOPLE WHO HAVE WORKED THERE OR BEEN THERE. IT'S A FASCINATING BOOK. AGAIN, IT'S A SPECIAL THANK YOU GIFT THAT WE HAVE TO OFFER I THINK AT THE $10 A MONTH AND ABOVE. DON'T WORRY. OUR VOLUNTEERS HAVE ALL THIS INFORMATION AND WE'LL MAKE SURE YOU GET AT THE RIGHT LEVEL AND SHOW YOUR SUPPORT IN JUST THE RIGHT WAY. BUT TO DO THAT YOU HAVE TO CALL 1-800-236-3636. >> THANKS. REMEMBER, THIS IS A CHALLENGE BREAK, SO FOR NEW MEMBERS YOUR DOLLARS ARE DOUBLED WHEN YOU CALL RIGHT NOW. WE'RE ON OUR WAY TO 50 AND BEYOND. WE HAVE 16 CALLS. PLEASE JOIN US WITH YOUR PLEDGE. YOUR GIFT IS AN INVESTMENT ESPECIALLY IN THE WORK THAT WE DO ABOUT WISCONSIN, ABOUT WISCONSIN STORIES AND WISCONSIN PROGRAMS. TONIGHT'S PROGRAM IS JUST ONE EXAMPLE OF THAT. THINK OF PROGRAMS WE SHARE WITH OUR FRIENDS, PROGRAMS LIKE "GUYS ON ICE," WHICH IS THE GREATEST ICE-FISHING MUSICAL EVER, WISCONSIN FROM THE AIR, "WISCONSIN WINTER FROM THE AIR," EXTRAORDINARY CELEBRATION OF OUR STATE. "OUR HOUSE" IS A BEAUTIFUL PROGRAM ABOUT THE MOST IMPORTANT BUILDING IN OUR STATE. CLEARLY AS YOU WATCH THE PROGRAM THE BUILDING THAT WAS BUILT WITH THE MOST CARE AND THIS MOST SENSE OF OUR PLACE IN OUR GOVERNMENT, THIS PROGRAM CELEBRATES IT, THAT BUILDING CELEBRATES IT. IT'S A WONDERFUL CELEBRATION OF WISCONSIN. WE HOPE YOU'LL JOIN US WITH YOUR PLEDGE AND YOUR SUPPORT WHILE IT'S DOUBLED AT 1-800-236-3636. >> OUR CAPITOL WILLING BUILDING IS A JEWEL, ALL ONLY WAWZ OF THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE COME BEFORE. CELEBRATE THE LEGACY OF THE CAPITOL BUILDING BY MAKING A GIFT RIGHT NOW. FOR A GIFT OF $8 A MONTH WE'LL SEND YOU THE PROGRAM DVD OF "OUR HOUSE" THE CELEBRATION OF WISCONSIN'S CAPITOL BUILDING, INTIMATE, BEHIND-THE-SCENES LOOK AT ALL OF THE DETAILS, SUCH A BEAUTIFULLY DONE PROGRAM FROM WISCONSIN PUBLIC TELEVISION. FOR A PLEDGE OF $10 A MONTH OR MORE, WE'LL SEND YOU THE BOOK THAT JUST CAME OUT FROM THE WISCONSIN HISTORICAL SOCIETY PRESS CALLED "THE WISCONSIN CAPITOL." IT'S FULL OF HISTORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS. FOR A PLEDGE OF $13 A MONTH OR MORE, WE'LL SEND YOU BOTH THE DVD WHICH HAS AN ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTARY ON IT AS WELL AS THE BOOK. WE WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU. THIS IS A WONDERFUL LEGACY FOR YOUR CHILDREN, FOR YOUR FRIENDS AND YOU CAN HAVE IT AT A TOKEN OF OUR THANKS WHEN YOU MAKE YOUR PLEDGE AT 1-800-236-3636. >> WE HAVE 24 CALLS SO FAR DURING THIS CHALLENGE BREAK, WHICH MEANS WE'RE ABOUT HALFWAY TO OUR GOAL OF 50 CALLS. IF YOU CALL AND YOU DON'T GET THROUGH, YOU CAN STAY ON THE LINE OR YOU CAN GO TO wpt.org AND MAKE YOUR MEMBERSHIP THERE. ALL THESE THANK YOU GIFTS WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT, YOU CAN JUST THEM THERE JUST AS WELL. SO DO THAT. YOU CAN ALSO BECOME A SUSTAINING MEMBER BY CALLING ONE OF OUR VOLUNTEERS OR BY GOING ONLINE. SUSTAINING MEMBERSHIP MEANS THAT YOU DECIDE HOW MUCH TO GIVE EACH MONTH. I AM A SUSTAINING MEMBER. AND SO WHAT I DO IS I SAY I WILL TRANSFER THIS AMOUNT OF MONEY EVERY MONTH FROM MY CHECKING ACCOUNT AND IT'S PAYABLE TO WISCONSIN PUBLIC TELEVISION. I'VE BEEN DOING THIS FOR YEARS. I LIKE IT BECAUSE IT MAKES IT EASY TO BUDGET MY GIVING ACROSS THE YEAR. AND I KNOW THAT WISCONSIN PUBLIC TELEVISION LIKES IT BECAUSE THEY HAVE A RELIABLE AND STEADY SOURCE OF FUNDING COMING IN. IT'S REALLY A TERRIFIC WAY TO GO. A SUSTAINING MEMBERSHIP. OUR VOLUNTEERS HAVE THE INFORMATION ABOUT THAT OR, AGAIN, YOU CAN FIND IT ONLINE. THE IMPORTANT THING IS TO SUPPORT "OUR HOUSE," TO SUPPORT WISCONSIN PROGRAMS, TO SUPPORT WISCONSIN PUBLIC TELEVISION. AND THAT'S SOMETHING YOU CAN DO TONIGHT. YOU CAN DO RIGHT NOW IF YOU WANT TO GIVE US A CALL OR GO ONLINE. WE ARE AT 29 CALLS. WE'RE AIMING FOR 50. BE THE NEXT ONE AT 1-800-236-3636. >> IT'S GOOD TO SEE THE GREAT RESPONSE AND THE CALLS POURING IN. THANK YOU FOR THOSE CALLS AND THOSE PLEDGES. ALSO WANT TO THANK OUR FUNDERS FOR THIS PROJECT AND THIS PROGRAM WHO MADE THEIR CONTRIBUTION WHEN WE WERE JUST IMAGINING IT. WE WANT TO THANK RON AND COLLEEN WEYERS, THE AHRENS FUND, OUR FOLKS IN THE FOX VALLEY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION, THE CONNIE FAMILY IN MEMORY OF MILDRED. WE CERTAINLY MISS HER. EDVEST WHO WE HAD A CHANCE TO TALK TO AND THE WORK THAT THEY DO FOR FAMILIES OF WISCONSIN. ELEANOR AND THOMAS WILDRECK FAMILY. ROGER AND LYN, THANK YOU. AMERICAN TRANSMISSION COMPANY. WE APPRECIATE YOUR SUPPORT FOR THIS. AND FRIENDS OF WISCONSIN PUBLIC TELEVISION, WHICH IS YOU. WHEN YOU CALL, AGAIN, VIEWERS ARE THE LARGEST SINGLE SOURCE OF REVENUE. YOU CAN SEE IN THIS PROGRAM WHAT WISCONSIN PUBLIC TELEVISION MEANS TO OUR STATE AND CAPTURING THIS STORY. I WANT TO TELL A LITTLE BIT ABOUT ELEANOR AND THOMAS. THEIR FAMILY MADE A GIFT TO THIS PROJECT FOR THIS WONDERFUL COMBINATION OF REASONS. ONE, AS THOMAS WORKED IN THE CAPITOL. AND HE TALKED ABOUT -- THE FAMILY TOLD US ABOUT HOW ELEANOR, HIS WIFE, WOULD BRING VISITORS WHO CAME TO VISIT THEM TO THE CAPITOL AND TOUR THIS AMAZING BUILDING. HIS OFFICE WAS IN THE DOME. THEY TOLD US HOW IT WASN'T HEATED AND IT CERTAINLY WASN'T COOLED. AND SO THIS IS A REALLY SPECIAL PLACE FOR THEM. AND BEYOND THAT THEY BOTH WERE BORN IN 1917. SO THIS WONDERFUL COMBINATION OF THINGS WE CELEBRATE THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS TO OUR STATE, TO THEIR COMMUNITY AND THEIR FAMILY THAT CONTINUES THIS LEGACY OF PHILANTHROPY OF SUPPORTING THIS PROJECT. WE'RE PROUD TO BE PART OF THAT. OUR CONDOLENCES GO TO THE FAMILY. ELEANOR JUST RECENTLY PASSED AND IT WAS WONDERFUL TO MEET HER. WHAT A GREAT SPIRIT. WHAT A GREAT CONTRIBUTOR TO THIS STATE ALONG WITH HER HUSBAND AND HER FAMILY. SO WE WANT TO AK THOJ ACKNOWLEDGE THAT AND THANK THEM FOR THEIR SUPPORT AND ACKNOWLEDGE THE WONDERFUL RESPONSE WE'RE RECEIVING TO THIS PROGRAM. ENCOURAGE YOU TO JOIN US WITH YOUR CALL TO 1-800-236-3636. THANK YOU. >> WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF A CHALLENGE BREAK. WE'RE LOOKING FOR 50 CALLS AND WE'RE AT 41. SO WE'RE ALMOST THERE. THERE ARE MEMBERS WHO HAVE A MATCHING FUND AND WE'D LOVE TO SEE NEW HEBS. IT YOU'VE NEVER BEEN A MEMBER, RIGHT NOW IS A GREAT TIME TO JOIN. WE'RE ASKING FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF THIS WONDERFUL KIND OF PROGRAM WE'VE JUST SEEN, "OUR HOUSE," THE STORY OF THE NATION'S CAPITOL. WE HAVE A WONDERFUL THANK YOU GIFT FOR YOU. IF YOU CAN MAKE A PLEDGE AT $8 A MONTH OR MORE AND THAT'S THE PROGRAM DVD THAT WE HAVE JUST SEEN. IT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN SHARE WITH YOUR FAMILY AND WATCH OVER AND OVER AGAIN. FOR A PLEDGE OF $10 A MONTH OR MORE, WE HAVE A BOOK THAT WAS JUST RELEASED BY THE WISCONSIN HISTORICAL SOCIETY PRESS CALLED "THE WISCONSIN CAPITOL" AND IT'S FULL OF HISTORY AND PHOTOS. FOR YOUR PLEDGE OF $13 A MONTH OR MORE WE'LL SEND YOU BOTH THE DVD AND THE BOOK. IT IS A TERRIFIC COMBINATION OF ITEMS. THIS IS A CENTENNIAL YEAR FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING. IT'S A CENTENNIAL YEAR FOR OUR CAPITOL, SOMETHING WE CAN ALL BE SO VERY PROUD OF. AND WE'D LOVE FOR YOU TO BE PARTICIPATING IN ALL OF THIS CENTENNIAL HAPPINESS. SO GIVE US A CALL, BE PART OF IT ALL AT 1-800-236-3636. >> WE HAVE JUST A FEW MINUTES LEFT IN THIS PARTICULAR CHALLENGE BREAK. AGAIN, OUR GOAL IS 50 GOALS. THAT WAS 43 THAT JUST CAME IN. THE CHALLENGE MEANS THAT YOUR GIFT WILL BE MATCHED UP TO $2,000 WITH A SPECIAL FUND THAT'S BEEN SET UP. IT'S A GOOD REASON TO CALL RIGHT NOW. BUT ACTUALLY THE BEST REASON TO CALL IS BECAUSE YOU'VE ENJOYED THE PROGRAM AND YOU WANT TO SUPPORT THESE KINDS OF PROGRAMS, PROGRAMS ABOUT WISCONSIN THAT TELL THE STORY OF WISCONSIN IN A PARTICULAR WAY. AND I THINK THAT THIS PROGRAM DID THAT SUCCESSFULLY. AND I THINK YOU AGREE. SO NOW IS THE TIME TO CALL. THE PHONE NUMBER THAT'S ON YOUR SCREEN AND SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR WISCONSIN PUBLIC TELEVISION. THIS IS THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF PUBLIC BROADCASTING HERE IN WISCONSIN. IT'S ALSO THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CAPITOL BUILDING THAT STANDS TODAY IN THE CENTER OF MADISON. TWO GOOD REASONS TO CALL AND SHOW YOUR SUPPORT TO WISCONSIN PUBLIC TELEVISION. I WAS ABLE TO WORK ON THE PROGRAM. I ENJOY IT IMMENSELY. I'M VERY GRATEFUL THAT WISCONSIN PUBLIC TELEVISION DOES THIS KIND OF STUFF, THAT THEY DO PROGRAMS ABOUT WISCONSIN AND ABOUT OUR, AS WE SAY, BUILT ENVIRONMENT. THAT'S MY PARTICULAR INTEREST, BUILDINGS, ARCHITECTURE, DESIGN. BOY, THIS BUILDING HAS IT IN SPADES AS I THINK YOU JUST SAW. IT'S A GOOD REASON NOW AGAIN TO CALL THE NUMBER THAT'S ON YOUR SCREEN, 1-800-236-3636. >> WONDERFUL CALLS. WE'VE REACHED OUR GOAL OF 50. WE WANT TO GO BEYOND 50. WHY DON'T YOU JOIN US TO TAKE US BEYOND OUR GOAL, 1-800-236-3636. I WANT TO TELL ONE STORY. WE HEARD SO MANY STORIES ABOUT THIS. MY FRIEND STEVE TALKED ABOUT COMING WITH HIS PARENTS AND GRANDPARENTS TO THE CAPITOL WHEN HE WAS A KID FROM SCHOFIELD AND TOURING THE CAPITOL. THEY WENT AFTER TO GOVERNOR DODGE STATE PARK. THEY REALIZED THEY HAD LEFT STEVE AT THE CAPITOL. THEY HAD LEFT THEIR CHILD AT THE CAPITOL BECAUSE SOMEONE THOUGHT HE WAS IN THAT CAR AND SOMEONE THOUGHT HE WAS IN THIS CAR AND HE WAS IN EITHER CAR. THEY RACE BACK AND THEY FIND STEVE IS JUST LOVING THE CAPITOL. HE DID NOT NOTICE ANYBODY WAS LEFT. HE TOLD THEM THAT HE WAS GOING TO WORK HERE. HE DIDN'T WORK AT THE CAPITOL, BUT NOW HE'S AN ARCHITECT AND HIS OFFICE IS ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE CAPITOL. THIS BUILDING IS REALLY QUITE EXTRAORDINARY AND THAT KIND OF INFLUENCE, THE KIND OF VISION OF THAT BUILDING CONTINUES TO RESONATE IN OUR STATE FOR THE CHILDREN WHO WALK IN AND JUST FALL IN LOVE WITH THIS BUILDING TO THE SENSE OF OUR ACCESS TO OUR GOVERNMENT. IT'S ALL CELEBRATED IN THIS BUILDING AND WE REALLY FEEL PROUD OF THE GREAT WORKS OUR FOLKS DID OF CAPTURING AND