The Rhode Island state house--the competition (1890-1892)

Abstract

This is a study of the design competition for the new State House in Providence, Rhode Island, which began in 1890 and ended in 1892. The competition was supervised by the Rhode Island State House Commission, a body formed by the legislature and presided over by former Rhode Island Governor Herbert W. Ladd. The Commission was initiated in January 1890 and began meetings in May 1890. The competition ran in two parts. First local Rhode Island architects were invited to compete and then a group of nationally known architects were brought in to compete with three of the Rhode Island firms. The interest in this building and the competition which led to its construction lies in the style of the completed building and in who was selected to design it. McKim, Mead & White were the winners of the competition and they produced a design (and eventually a building) which is a monument to the then new trend in American classicism which became popularized through the vehicle of the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 in Chicago. This building represents the ideals of the "City Beautiful", or "White City", movement which grew out of the influence of the Fair on the American Public. The study seeks to show how a small group of architects, which included McKim, Mead & White, had the correct social and professional connections to obtain such monumental projects as the Rhode Island State House. It is hoped that the story of the State House's competition will shed light on how the small elite which ruled American architecture in the 1890's was able to maintain their control.