The most imaginative construction project in Springfield history

SPRINGFIELD - It was an audacious idea - take apart a Springfield landmark stone by stone; install a two-story, one full block square underground parking deck and library; and then reassemble the pieces so the building looked the way Abraham Lincoln would have seen it. The 40th anniversary of the project many thought it couldn't be done will be observed during a special event Tuesday, March 25 at the Old State Capitol State Historic Site in downtown Springfield.

The Old Capitol Community Tribute will begin at 5:15 p.m. with a reception and refreshments, followed by a 6 p.m. recognition program. Tickets for the event at the Old State Capitol are $25 and may be obtained from Downtown Springfield Inc., (217) 544-1723. Limited seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis for the recognition.

Three men from a small, local architectural firm that planned and coordinated the project will receive special recognition during the March 25 program. Donald E. Ferry, Earl Wallace Henderson, Jr. and August P. Wisnosky of Ferry & Henderson, Architects, Inc. were the guiding force for the painstaking work that returned the Old State Capitol to its glory days. Many other organizations and individuals that served important roles in the reconstruction will also be recognized, including the Springfield Junior League, the Abraham Lincoln Association, Illinois National Bank, Springfield Marine Bank and First National Bank, Walter E. Hanson Company, Collins & Rice Inc., and Carroll-Henneman & Associates Inc.

"As we near the sesquicentennial commemoration of Lincoln's ‘House Divided' Speech and approach the bicentennial commemoration of Lincoln's birth, the Springfield community gives thanks and pays tribute to Don, Wally, Augie and the many others who worked together to protect the historic fabric of Lincoln's Springfield," stated event coordinators Bob Gray of the Citizens Club of Springfield, Justin Blandford of the Old State Capitol and Paul O'Shea from the City of Springfield.

Workers laid the Capitol's cornerstone on July 4, 1837. Designed by Springfield architect John Rague in the then-popular Greek Revival style, the Capitol symbolized the ancient Greek example of orderly progress and democracy. The first rooms opened for use in 1839, although it would be another fifteen years before the building was completed. When the House of Representatives convened in the new statehouse for the first time, in December 1840, Abraham Lincoln took his seat for his fourth (and final) term as a legislator. It was here that Lincoln launched his 1858 Senate campaign against Douglas with his famous "House Divided" speech. In the crucial months before and after his election as president in 1860, Lincoln used the second-floor Governor's office and adjoining reception room (borrowed from Governor Wood) as his political headquarters. In the spring of 1865, Lincoln's body was brought here to lie in state as grief-stricken mourners streamed past the open coffin.

In 1876 state government offices moved to a new capitol building several blocks away, and the Old State Capitol was extensively remodeled for use as the Sangamon County Courthouse. In 1899 the building was raised 11 feet and another floor was built on the foundation. Admirers of Abraham Lincoln launched an effort in the 1950s and 60s to return the building to its original appearance. Governor Otto Kerner (1961-1968) was dedicated to the reconstruction of the Old State Capitol and later recalled, "I realized if we didn't act we might lose the second most historical building west of the Alleghenies."

Reconstruction of the Old State Capitol began in 1966 when the building was completely dismantled, and the exterior stones were carefully removed, numbered, and stored at the Illinois State Fairgrounds. Space for the Illinois State Historical Library and automobile parking was built underground on the site. Then, the building was reassembled as it looked in the mid-1800s when Abraham Lincoln was a frequent visitor, and the Old State Capitol State Historic Site was rededicated in 1968.

The Old State Capitol State Historic Site is administered by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.