The rotunda is the heart of the Capitol Building in Olympia. While visitors’ eyes are drawn to the soaring dome it might be a good idea to look down or you’ll bump into a barrier in the center of the room. The stanchions are there to protect a bronze version of the Washington State Seal embedded in the floor.
Olympia Jewelers Designed State Seal
This seal is based on the state seal designed in 1889. The new State Legislature first considered an elaborate design depicting the port of Tacoma, wheat fields, grazing sheep and Mount Rainier.
But Olympia jeweler Charles Talcott thought the design was too complicated and would quickly become dated. He created his own design using an ink bottle to draw the outer circle and a silver dollar to make the inside circle. Between the circles he wrote “The Seal of the State of Washington, 1889.” He pasted a postage stamp of President George Washington in the center.
After the committee approved the proposal, Charles Talcott and his brothers made a die. George used a color drawing of Washington from a packing box of Dr. D. Jayne’s Cure for Coughs & Colds for the finalized design of Washington. He cut the die and Grant did the lettering.
State Legislature approved the design. Over two dozen variations of the seal were used until 1967 when Seattle graphic designer Richard Nelms redrew it to look like the famous Gilbert Stuart portrait of Washington.
Maxfield Keck Came From Family of Artists
Construction on the current Capitol building began in 1923. As work neared completion, the architects refocused their attention on the furnishings and art that would fill the new building. The rotunda, they felt, needed something extra special. They picked the state seal.
New York City-based sculptor Maxfield Henry Keck (1880-1943) was chosen to make a bronze version of the seal. Born in Giessen, Germany, Keck came from a family of artists. His brother Charles (1871-1951) was a prolific sculptor, whose many works include the Father Duffy Statue in Times Square. His brother Henry (1873-1956) made stained glass church windows.
Maxfield Keck graduated from the Cooper Union Institute and the Art Student League, both in New York City. He became known for his architectural sculpture and models, both public and private commissions. Keck’s work is featured at many historic public buildings across the country including Pennsylvania Station in Newark and the New York Telephone Building. For many years he worked with his cousin Carl, a fellow sculptor.
Maxfield married Estella Marcellus (1882-1959) in 1915. They had four children: Jane Elixabeth (1917-1924), Marcellus (1919-2005), Henry (1921-2020), and George (1927-2016). Henry became a product designer and inventor, creating over 1,700 designs during his long career. George became a journalist and missionary while Marcellus later moved to Anacortes.
Working for his studio in New York City, Maxfield Keck created a four-foot-wide version of the state seal. For added flourish he surrounded it with a wreath of oak leaves and acorns, to symbolize strength.
Keck also designed the monumental bronze doors at the Capitol’s north entrance.
Controversial Location of State Seal
The seal was installed in 1928, before the Capitol’s official opening. Its placement on the floor sparked an immediate firestorm of controversary. Patriotic groups from around the state protested the move.
The Washington State Sons of the American Revolution wrote Governor Roland Hartley to tell him that they had formed a committee to “use every lawful means” to have the seal removed from the floor. “We are not at this time,” they added “concerned with who was responsible for this outrage but it is our intention to locate and hold up for public ridicule the person or persons who are responsible for its continuation.”
In a surprise move, Hartley who rarely had anything good to say about the Capitol and its designers defended the placement. He wrote that he believed the architects had chosen the spot, not out of disrespect but because it could be easily seen by the public. Hartley was firmly against putting up any sort of barrier.
Many agreed with Hartley. “The lobbyist has watched crowds in the rotunda,” wrote a journalist in the Daily Olympian on February 8, 1929, “on a number of occasions and has yet to see anyone, man, woman or child, step on the medallion….no hurrying feet seem to keep it scuffed bright.”
Barrier Goes Up to Protect Washington State Seal
In early February 1929, Representative Robert Tripple of King County sponsored a bill to put up some sort of barrier around the seal. The bill did not include any funding. No barrier went up.
People grumbled. Daily Olympian editors returned with another suggestion on August 13, 1929. A few bronze posts and a heavy bronze chain might do the trick, the writer suggested “or the bronze could be raised some six inches above the level of the floor.”
Talk about a tripping hazard.
Whatever Governor Hartley had expected, people did end up walking on the seal. A decade hadn’t even pass before the Father of the Country’s nose started to get worn away. A barrier – posts and a rope – were finally installed in the late 1930s, after Hartley left office.
The now protected State Seal has remained in place ever since, weathering three major earthquakes, remodeling and even vandalism. It has been a silent witness to over a century of activity at the capitol. Political gatherings, concerts, speeches, school visits, the seal has been seen by millions and has become a symbol of the Capitol. Just remember to watch your step!
