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Bessey Bust Installed
The bust of the most recent inductee into the Nebraska Hall of Fame, Charles Edwin Bessey, has been placed in the north west gallery of the second floor rotunda in the Nebraska State Capitol. Bessey’s bust was sculpted by Littleton Alston. Charles Bessey is best remembered for the hand planted Nebraska National Forest near Halsey, Nebraska. Bessey was a Professor of Botany at the University of Nebraska from 1884 until 1915 and founder of the Nebraska Agricultural Experiment Station. Bessey’s bust is in the same gallery as the bust of prominent legal scholar Nathan Roscoe Pound, one of Bessey’s first botany students at the University of Nebraska.
Are You Interested in Seeing the Building in Person?
We're open 7 days a week, so plan a visit here. Then, explore some photos and perhaps read more about the Memorial Chamber.Historic Rooms
The architect who designed the Nebraska State Capitol was Bertram Goodhue. The thematic program of the Capitol was developed by Dr. Hartley Burr Alexander. Sculptor for the Capitol was Lee Lawrie, and Hildreth Meiere designed all the floor and ceiling mosaics. The building was constructed over a ten year period in four building phases. Construction began in 1922 and was completed in 1932. Total cost of the building was just under $10 million.
Capitol quick facts
- Construction started in 1922, completed in 1932.
- The architect was Bertram G. Goodhue.
- There are 15 floors above ground.
- The building is 400 feet tall.
- It is the third Nebraska State Capitol.
- It cost $9.8 million in 1932 dollars.
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Building hours
- Monday ‐ Friday: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Saturday ⁄ Holidays: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Sunday: 1 to 5 p.m.
- Tours Available on the Hour
(Except at Noon) - Open every day except Thanksgiving Day, the Friday after, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day.
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